Liverpool supporters are venting their frustrations as the summer transfer window trundles into the final few weeks, with not a signing in sight to strengthen Arne Slot's newly-shaped system.
Replacing Jurgen Klopp is a task comparable to scaling Anfield with your bare hands, but the easygoing Dutchman has the wits and the tactical wherewithal to enjoy a fruitful tenure on Merseyside.
Only, he's yet to see a player welcomed to the first-team fold. Up until recent events, trepidation around this matter was somewhat undue – Liverpool were biding their time throughout June and July as Slot familiarised himself with his new outfit and determined the key point of concern.
Last month, Richard Hughes spoke of an August "crescendo" that has yet to materialise, with Liverpool's new sporting director left hot under the collar after Martin Zubimendi rejected the Premier League team's advances despite leaning toward leaving Real Sociedad initially.
This has placed the Reds in a disquieting position, with Wataru Endo seemingly not suited to Slot's ball-playing, progressive system.
Liverpool's rejection response
Slot has underlined concerns around the base of his Anfield engine room and will be hoping to see someone fitting walk through the door.
Zubimendi has earned much acclaim for his performances in La Liga, with Spanish football expert Sid Lowe claiming that "he is just about as good a deep-lying midfielder there is in Europe, apart from maybe Rodri".
Spain's Euro 2024-winning manager Luis de la Fuente has also called him "one of the best midfielders in the world", so perhaps it's somewhat justifiable that Hughes and co are being circumspect in moving for an alternative.
The Athletic's David Ornstein has confirmed that Liverpool "are not expecting to sign" an alternative No. 6, but with the overriding consensus suggesting that this would be a fatal mistake, that could surely change in the weeks to come.
If not, Liverpool will have to make do with Endo, who signed from Stuttgart for £16m in a surprise move one year ago after efforts to sign Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo were foiled by Chelsea.
That said, there is another man who has proved himself in the sitting midfield role: Alexis Mac Allister.
Where Alexis Mac Allister could play this season
Liverpool signed Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £35m deal last summer, kickstarting a much-needed midfield rebuild ahead of Jurgen Klopp's final term at the helm.
Arriving with a World Cup gold medal under his belt and a talismanic role in Brighton's rise in the Premier League, clinching Europa League football in 2022/23.
The £150k-per-week ace completed 33 matches for Liverpool in the Premier League last term, as per Sofascore, posting five goals and five assists, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 1.4 key passes, 3.4 tackles, 5.9 successful duels and 5.9 ball recoveries per game.
Passes attempted
68.11
Top 14%
Progressive passes
7.24
Top 13%
Through balls
0.48
Top 9%
Shot-creating actions
3.74
Top 18%
Ball recoveries
6.75
Top 13%
Tackles
3.43
Top 9%
Blocks
2.25
Top 3%
He might prefer to play in a looser midfield role, having been hailed as a "superstar" by pundit Joe Cole for his technical quality, even claiming that he "can play anywhere". One needs only take a look at his frightening striking power and ability to carve open the steeliest of defences.
His defensive quality is equally as admirable but performances across the 2023/24 campaign illustrated the gains to be made from playing him alongside one tasked with a more defensive-minded partner.
Still, 3.4 tackles per game and an athletic strength that surpasses the lion's share of midfielders across Europe led Klopp to play him at the base last year, something that hardly dented his mark as one of the finest in the business.
Alexis Mac Allister's transfer value in 2024
Mac Allister wasn't crowned Liverpool's Player of the Season for 2023/24 (that honour went to the evergreen Mohamed Salah) but he couldn't have done much more across a string-pulling, metronomic campaign.
It's remarkable, in hindsight, that he was purchased for an astute £35m – Fabrizio Romano hailed the transfer a "bargain" – and his present market value reflects that.
According to Transfermarkt's market-price-evaluating model, the Argentina international is worth €75m (£64m), which marks him as one of Liverpool's most valuable players.
Dominik Szbosozlai, for example, joined the Anfield side from RB Leipzig last summer after his £60m release clause was met, while Transfermarkt consider him to be at the same value as his South American counterpart: €75m (£64m).
What about Zubimendi? Liverpool were willing to spend €60m (£51m) on the Euro 2024 champion – the equivalent of the 25-year-old's release clause – but he has opted to remain with his boyhood club following fierce Sociedad efforts to keep him at the club.
Should an alternative to Zubimendi not be welcomed before September, Liverpool will have failed to sign a new deep-lying midfielder for three successive seasons, something that could prove to be a catastrophic failure at the dawn of an exciting new era.
Mac Allister could fill that hole once again, sure, but while he's regarded as the creme de la creme, and while he's deservedly valued beyond that of Zubimendi, he might actually rise to a new level altogether if partnered with a specialist No. 6.
Contact made: Liverpool offered "genius" £576k-p/w Zubimendi upgrade
This would be a shock move indeed…
ByAngus Sinclair