Liverpool should make a move for Thorgan Hazard in January
According to Daily Star, Liverpool are interested in signing Belgian midfielder Thorgan Hazard, who currently plies his trade in the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach.
The same report claims that Jurgen Klopp is keen to bolster his attacking options with a creative attacking midfielder and Hazard is on their shop list ahead of the January transfer window.
The 25-year-old creative ace made a couple of appearances for Belgium at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He also has a £26million release clause in his contract, meaning Liverpool will need to break the bank to sign him.
After failing to make a single competitive appearance for Chelsea, Hazard resurrected his career with a move to Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga. A successful 2017-18 season in the German top-flight where he accumulated 10 goals and 5 assists from 34 appearances, was enough to earn him a call-up to Belgium’s squad for the World Cup.
And he has already bettered those stats this season. The 25-year-old has been in red-hot form for Monchengladbach this term and has been one of the cornerstones of the club’s early-season success, playing a key role in their surge to 2nd in the Bundesliga standings.
Hazard has amassed 8 goals and 6 assists from 14 appearances in the Bundesliga, catching the eye of several top clubs in the Premier League including Everton and Manchester United. (h/t Daily Star)
The 25-year-old creative ace has averaged 2.5 shots, 2.7 key passes, 1.6 dribbles, 1.6 crosses and 1.6 long balls per game this season, figures which speak volumes of his all-around ability as an attacking midfielder. To go with those numbers, he has averaged 2 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game, proving that he is also capable of playing in a deeper role in the midfield.
Much like his elder brother Eden Hazard, Thorgan Hazard is a technically-gifted and tactically-versatile attacking midfielder who is capable of playing in multiple positions in the midfield and attacking third. While he is at his best when deployed in a No.10 role behind the striker, he can also play as a wide forward on either side of a 4-3-3 formation. He has also excelled as a winger and a deep midfielder this season.
Standing at 5ft. 9 inches, Hazard combines his technical abilities with his low centre of gravity to keep exceptional close control in tight areas. He is a central attacking midfielder with the instincts of a winger, combining his directness with his sudden burst of pace and nimble feet to create space for himself. He is a player with a good eye for a pass and has the ability to play his teammates in behind the backline with incisive passes.
A player suited to free-flowing possession-based build-up play, Hazard likes to work those half-spaces in the final third and draws the defenders out from their positions, allowing others to pull the strings. Furthermore, he is also a good crosser of the ball and can create chances from the wide areas as well.
Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League standings with a 4-0 drubbing of Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, thanks to a hat-trick from Mohamed Salah. Jurgen Klopp’s men have won 13 of their first 16 games in the Premier League, which is their best ever start to a season.
However, the Reds have had some problems with lack of creativity in the midfield, especially in the Champions League games against Napoli, PSG and Red Star Belgrade. While summer arrivals Naby Keita and Fabinho are not exactly creative midfielders, Xherdan Shaqiri has proven himself to be the bargain of the season in the Premier League.
Read More:- Liverpool re-igniting interest in this £38m creative ace would be a shrewd move by Jurgen Klopp
Deploying Roberto Firmino in a No.10 role has partly solved Liverpool’s No.10 woes but the Reds need more depth in their squad to challenge for the Premier League title.
That said, Thorgan Hazard definitely fits the bill at Anfield and Liverpool should not hesitate to splash the cash to sign him in January.
