£70m “machine” looks set to sign for Liverpool

How on earth do Liverpool replace a player like Mohamed Salah? The fact of the matter is, you don’t.

The Egyptian has been a great, an icon, a modern legend during his time at Anfield. You simply don’t watch someone of that quality and standing walk away and expect to replace them easily.

While he wasn’t quite in the same ballpark as Salah, Liverpool have already experienced that in recent years with Fabinho.

The Reds are arguably still searching for his replacement after he left three years ago. Perhaps they could finally stumble upon their new version this summer.

Liverpool looking at big-money midfielder

In a bid to replace Salah, the Merseysiders have reportedly looked at a number of exciting names from PSG’s Bradley Barcola to RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande.

The latter is widely thought to be their top target for the summer and with Football FanCast sources revealing earlier this year that an agreement was close on personal terms, club-to-club talks are expected to open soon regarding a deal.

Michael Olise, once of Crystal Palace, is also said to be a target but prising him away from Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga winners and Champions League semi-finalists, feels like a near-impossible task.

Yet, speaking of Palace, he’s not the only one associated with Selhurst Park who could move to Anfield this summer.

In recent days, it was revealed that Liverpool had reached the stages of advanced talks in their bid to sign Adam Wharton from the Eagles.

With a £70m fee mooted, Reds reporter James Wathland delivered the latest on the deal this weekend. Taking to social media, he said: “All parties close to the Adam Wharton deal expect him to become a Liverpool player this summer.”

Wharton is admired by a number of clubs in the Premier League, not least Manchester United who are on the hunt to find a replacement for Casemiro.

Why Wharton could be Liverpool’s new Fabinho

It’s safe to say Liverpool fans will be hoping the club’s attempts to replace Salah are a whole lot better than their attempts to replace Fabinho.

While Ryan Gravenberch starred in a deeper role on the way to winning the Premier League title last season, his performances have dwindled in recent weeks, so much so that he has not started two of the last three league games.

In their bid to find a successor for Fabinho, they have ultimately tried and failed to sign some of the best midfielders in the world. They were close to signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton, only for Chelsea to hijack the deal, and they had also been in talks with Martin Zubimendi.

The Spaniard ultimately rejected the Reds and went on to sign for Arsenal last summer instead.

Liverpool will be wary of lightning striking for a third time with Wharton but if they can get a deal over the line, it would be a mighty fine acquisition.

While Wharton may not be as strong in the tackle and as brutish as Fabinho once was at the heart of the midfield at Anfield, the qualities the England international offers mean he could well be their best deep-lying midfielder since the Brazilian was in Merseyside.

Unlike Liverpool’s former number 6, the Palace superstar could actually offer even more from midfield. Why? Well, he’s certainly got more energy and legs about his play.

While not a natural duel winner like Fabinho – Wharton wins just 1.15 ground duels per 90 – he is brilliant at reading the game like the Brazilian, amassing 6.32 recoveries every 90. That stat places him among the top 25% of midfielders on the continent. He’s also pretty damn good when it comes to slide tackling.

A true deep-lying playmaker, the Englishman is simply phenomenal at advancing play, hailed as a “passing machine” by journalist Henry Winter.

This season, the 22-year-old ranks among the top 11% of midfielders in Europe for progressive actions. He is one of the best line-breaking passers in the whole of football right now, completing 4.99 progressive passes per 90 minutes, enough to rank him in the best 8% of midfielders in Europe for that metric.

Furthermore, he sits inside the best 1% for through balls completed. This is a player who will not just disrupt the play like great defensive midfielders of the past, but someone who will get Liverpool on the front foot a lot more quickly. That will no doubt be music to the ears of Alexander Isak and Co.