Jude Bellingham is a player who excels in his ability to create chances for himself and others. He is someone who carries the ball with incredible purpose and bravery. He can defend. He can act as a team’s main playmaker. He wins headers. And he is obviously a player who understands tactics and certainly does not play or act like a 19-year-old boy.
He might have it all as a central midfielder, but Liverpool clearly cannot justify spending over £130million on him when they need a whole new midfield, not just one terrific player to play in that position. Even if he can be one of the best for the next decade at the very least.
The Reds clearly need to invest this summer and are expected to do just that. Here is an in-depth look at 10 midfield players the Premier League club should pursue with Bellingham no longer on the agenda. It is important to emphasise right away that out-and-out defensive midfielders like Moises Caicedo will not be on this list as they are not the same profile as Bellingham.
Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Bellingham and Mason Mount have shared the pitch for England on nine occasions. Amusingly, out of every international teammate, Bellingham’s joint second-worst points per game record (1.33) is with the Chelsea midfielder. He clearly doesn’t link up well with Jarrod Bowen, whom he has a shocking record of 0.33 points per game when they share the pitch. This is not relevant, just amusing.
Mount’s list of similar players on fbref is very generous. His style of play and effectiveness can be compared to Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard and Nicolo Barella, apparently. This is not to say Mount isn’t a good player or someone Liverpool should not pursue; he wouldn’t be on this list otherwise.
The phrase ‘set-piece merchant’ is thrown around far too often by fans these days – well, fans on social media, anyway. However, the ability to create danger from dead ball situations cannot be underestimated. That is something Mount is brilliant at, whether it be a free-kick shooting opportunity, free-kick crossing opportunity or a corner kick. Bellingham is not someone you would count on to create chances from these scenarios, or even crossing from open play. While there is nothing wrong with that when he offers so much more, Mount can add that dimension to Liverpool, while being able to do a whole lot more.
The Chelsea and England midfielder is often scapegoated by his club and international fans. Why? That is unclear. Is it because he…
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