Why Marcelo Brozovic would be a welcome signing for Liverpool
According to claims from 90MIN (h/t Football London), Liverpool could be set to firm up their interest in Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, having monitored the Croatian international earlier in the year.
As per the report, Premier League rivals Man United and Man City have also been mentioned as potential suitors for the 27-year-old alongside Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Liverpool are holding back from making a formal approach from the 2018 FIFA World Cup finalist, with Chelsea and Bayern currently battling for Brozovic’s services. (90min h/t Football London)
Profile
A youth prospect of Hrvatski Dragovoljac, Marcelo Brozovic shot to prominence in the Croatian top-flight during the 2010-11 season before subsequently establishing himself as a top midfielder in his homeland over the course of his spells at Lokomotiva Zagreb and Dinamo Zagreb.
Having won successive domestic titles with Dinamo Zagreb, Brozovic joined Inter Milan back in January 2015, initially on loan with an obligation to make the move permanent.
The 27-year-old has grown from strength-to-strength over the past five seasons at the San Siro, registering an impressive tally of 23 goals and 25 assists in 200 appearances for the Nerazzurri across all competitions.
Brozovic was a key cog in Antonio Conte’s midfield last season as Inter finished runners-up to Juventus in the Serie A by the narrowest of margins and also lost out to Sevilla in the Europa League final.
The Croatian impressed with 3 goals and 9 assists in 45 appearances for the Nerazzurri across all competitions last season, also featuring in the 2019-20 Europa League Squad of the Season.
Why Liverpool need him
Liverpool won the Champions League in 2018-19 and ended their 30-year drought for a maiden Premier League title last season with exactly the same core of stars. They don’t really need to make any wholesale changes to their squad this summer.
However, there are certain areas in the squad that need some reshuffling as the Reds bid to consolidate on their domestic and continental success under Jurgen Klopp. With the arrival of Kostas Tsimikas sorting out the left-back issue, Liverpool should now shift their focus to central defence and midfield.
The departure of the long-serving pair of Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana has depleted the Reds of some valuable depth and experience in both areas. Plus, with another trusted midfield lieutenant Georginio Wijnaldum out of contract in 2021 and attracting interest from Barcelona, Liverpool need to keep their options open this summet.
James Milner is nearing the twilight of his career at 34 while Naby Keita has endured a stop-start career at Anfield following his big-money switch to Merseyside a couple of years back.
To put things into perspective, Marcelo Brozovic could be the ideal man to add more quality and experience to Liverpool’s midfield. A veteran of 200 appearances for Inter, the Croatian boasts the versatility to play in multiple roles, ranging from a deep-lying playmaker to a defensive midfielder and also in a more advanced position behind the striker.
Read more
- Why Liverpool must offload Xherdan Shaqiri this summer
- Why Liverpool should prioritise a new deal for Georginio Wijnaldum
Verdict
There is no room for complacency in football and Liverpool need to keep adding to their squad if they are to maintain their dominance in English football.
Marcelo Brozivic still has several years remaining in his prime given he is 27 and it will be interesting to see him compete with other quality players like Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabinho for a role in Liverpool’s midfield, regardless of Wijnaldum’s future.
Having said that, Liverpool should go all out in their pursuit of the Croatian powerhouse this summer.
