Timo Werner remains a Liverpool target as the summer looms but what would the RB Leipzig man bring to the Anfield table and could he destroy their front three?
On the chalkboard
The Athletic have reported that the Reds have a time limit on a £51m move, and that Werner is being lined up as competition for Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino.
Per Transfermarkt, however, he is very rarely utilised as a winger by Leipzig and has scored the majority of his goals from a central striking position; he has netted 107 goals in 198 appearances through the middle, and 10 in 59 as a winger on either side.
That likely means that it will be a straight battle between Werner and Firmino for the No.9 spot in the team, and the Brazilian doesn’t come out of this well from a purely statistical angle.
Indeed, Werner has scored 27 goals in 36 games this season; Firmino has 11 in 43. The latter is also 29, whereas his prospective new team-mate is 24.
However, to remove the Brazilian ace from the team would leave a massive void in the centre of the club’s attack.
Indeed, he does not tend to operate solely as a centre-forward, he is more of a hole player, able to drop into pockets of space and link attack and defence, as he plays as a false nine. He has more key passes per game, on average, than every single Liverpool midfielder, via WhoScored.
That is telling, because it allows the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum to do the dirty work and then pop the ball off to Firmino.
Werner doesn’t offer the same attributes. He is a purer centre-forward, looking to run off the shoulder of defenders and get in behind. That isn’t to say that he isn’t a creative player – he and Firmino have both registered seven league assists this season, while Werner averages 1.4 key passes to his counterpart’s 1.3. The difference there is negligible.
But the question has to be asked as to how the rest of the front three would cope.
Tellingly, Firmino is the joint-top assist-maker to Salah in the Premier League this season, with twelve setups overall.
Throw it into disarray
Liverpool’s front three works because it is so in tune.
Firmino drops deep to fill the creative void and allow Salah and Mane to do their thing. He is integral to the trio.
Removing him could throw a spanner into the works.
Werner is, at least, a similar type of player but his predatory instincts mean that he is often in the box instead of outside it. He would be looking to fire Liverpool to glory instead of perhaps being willing to take a back seat and let Mane and Salah be the water-carriers.
Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…
It would also mean that Liverpool would probably need to recruit some genuine creativity in midfield to step into that No.10 role and make things happen.
Finding a way to fit Werner in, at the expense of Liverpool’s chemistry, feels a risky move and one that could ultimately undo the inner workings of a side that has been machine-like at times this season.
Jurgen Klopp should tread carefully.
Meanwhile, Liverpool fans have reacted to a huge midfielder update!