In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Liverpool’s transfer activity, Fred’s uncertain future at Old Trafford and David De Gea’s surprise contract situation, plus much more.
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Liverpool’s summer business has been world-class…
Liverpool’s business of signing Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai proves there is an over-the-top premium applied to English players. Liverpool have signed both of those players for almost the same price Arsenal have offered West Ham for Declan Rice.
Don’t get me wrong, Rice is a good player and one that will certainly improve Mikel Arteta’s team, but he doesn’t have the same CV as the likes of Mac Allister, who has just won a World Cup. His price tag is not his fault – but although he’s just played in the Conference League and won it, he hasn’t exactly set the world alight on the international stage yet. So when it comes to team’s early summer business, Liverpool are streets ahead of everyone else.
Jurgen Klopp has already made some very, very good and exciting signings. They’re now linked with Romeo Lavia from Southampton. The 19-year-old has bags of potential, which I would like to think he can fulfil, but following the two deals to bring in Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, Lavia, for me, would just be a Brucey bonus – the cherry on top if you will.
Fred could thrive at Fulham…
It isn’t just Liverpool who need to rebuild their midfield this summer, Manchester United do too, and according to recent reports, now Mason Mount is as good as done, the player most likely to be sacrificed is Fred (MEN).
The Brazilian has been heavily linked with joining Marco Silva’s Fulham. I am sure Fred’s preference would be to stay at Old Trafford, but if he isn’t in Erik Ten Hag’s plans and does end up having to leave, he can definitely draw inspiration from Willian’s decision to join Fulham last year. I know it looks like he’ll be moving on this summer, but after struggling at Arsenal, before returning to Brazil for one season and then eventually coming back to the Premier League, Willian proved all his critics wrong. He was excellent for the Cottagers last season and, along with Aleksandar Mitrovic, was arguably the main reason behind the side’s top-half finish.
Fulham is actually a really good club too – their location is excellent; it’s very appealing to players. Their stadium is great – it’s right on the banks of the River Thames. If Fred does go there, he is guaranteed to play regularly week in, week out and expectation levels there are obviously nowhere near as high as they are at Old Trafford, so it could actually be a move that brings out the best in him.
Is he the right one for Ten Hag to offload? – I don’t know really. Probably. I don’t think he’s good enough to play for Manchester United, but then I also don’t think Scott McTominay is good enough to play for Manchester United. Christian Eriksen, unfortunately, is getting older now. It’s a shame the Red Devils didn’t sign him six or seven years ago when he was at his absolute best. And of course, Marcel Sabitzer, who was only on loan, has now returned to Bayern Munich. There have been recent reports that the Bavarians are happy for the Austrian to leave permanently for a fee of just €15m (Fabrizio Romano) – if that is true, I cannot believe United haven’t snapped their hand off already. If they’re not going to take Bayern Munich up on it, I wonder if Klopp will think about it. He’s proven he can play in the Premier League and that fee is almost too good to turn down, especially when it’s senior international-level midfielders you’re in the market for!
Anyway, back to United… Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are the only untouchable ones, as you’d expect, but United need more and although Mount’s impending arrival will offer them something different, I am not overly convinced he’s exactly what they need.
Some concerns over Mason Mount…
The thing with Mount is, no one seems to be quite sure exactly where his best position is. Hopefully Ten Hag has it worked out – you’d certainly like to think he has. But I worry slightly because I just can’t see where he’d play.
Would he play centrally? – You’d assume not because of Fernandes. So it’s likely he’ll play on the left of a midfield three and possibly drift in and out of the flank but that would require a good understanding with Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw, and again, that isn’t something fans have often seen when the trio have played together for England, so it’s going to be interesting to see how Ten Hag manages the situation next season.
It’s time to go, David De Gea…
That being said, another situation Ten Hag must manage first is David De Gea’s contract. What a mess that one is!
We’ve all seen the reports of him being offered a contract, signing it, and then having it withdrawn before a second offer was made containing an even lower salary (The Athletic).
Firstly, it’s time De Gea left Manchester United. He’s been a wonderful servant to the club and he will undoubtedly go down as a modern-era legend. But after 12 years of being the number one, it’s time now for him to move on and make way for a more progressive, more suitable and younger goalkeeper. Inter Milan’s Andre Onana looks like he’s going to be that player, and De Gea should now start thinking about where he’s probably going to end his career.
I am sure he’ll have offers from the uber-wealthy Saudi clubs, but he’s good enough to stay in Europe and I think a potential reunion with Jose Mourinho at Roma would make a lot of sense – for everyone involved.