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Premier League champions Liverpool seem to have an impasse growing within their ranks. Gini Wijnaldum, with just a year left on his current contract, hasn't yet signed a new deal with the Reds.
There have been rumours that the Dutchman could leave this summer, with Liverpool intending to rather lose him now for a fee, than on a free next summer.
Wijnaldum is one of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's most trusted lieutenants on the field. But the Dutchman will be 30 later this year. And with contract negotiations taking much longer than Liverpool might have expected, the Reds might well be considering moving on and replacing Wijnaldum.
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However, that will not be an easy task at all, because of the versatility that Wijnaldum provides in the middle of the park. Under Klopp, Wijnaldum has traversed the entire midfield and played various roles. He's the been the holding midfielder sometimes, the advanced #8 sometimes, and occasionally has even moved into the front three.
So, if they were to lose Wijnaldum this summer, Liverpool are going to have to switch things around with respect to the roles of their other midfielders, mostly captain Jordan Henderson. Fabinho obviously has his role as an undisputed starter in the no. 6 role.
Here are five players who could possibly be looked at if Liverpool were indeed interested in replacing Wijnaldum.
#5 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic | Lazio
The Serbian, who plays for Lazio, has already become one of the best and most sought-after box-to-box midfielders in all of Europe.
Milinkovic-Savic operates on the right of a midfield three at Lazio, along with Lucas Leiva and Luis Alberto. He initially broke out with Lazio in 2017-18 as a no. 10. Milinkovic-Savic has demonstrated his versatility already and that makes him a viable candidate to play in a Klopp midfield, where multiple roles need to be filled.
Liverpool do rely on their front three and their flying full-backs to create and score most of their goals. The midfielders, on the other hand, do a lot of the dirty work, covering for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson when they bomb forward.
However, with Milinkovic-Savic, who plays predominantly on the right, could be helped by the fact that Alexander-Arnold is not the sort of full-back who will constantly run to the by-line.
The young Scouser has a fabulous ability to whip crosses in from a deeper position. In that kind of set-up, Milinkovic-Savic could occupy the inside-right channel. This would allow Mo Salah to drift further in-field, further enhancing the Egyptian's goal threat.
But if needed, Klopp has also used Wijnaldum in a role that allows him to get in the box freely. This was seen during last season's memorable UEFA Champions League semifinal win against Barcelona when the Dutchman scored twice. The Serbian would be ideal in that role as well.
#4 Denis Zakaria | Borussia Moenchengladbach
Zakaria is another player who may not directly replace Wijnaldum in the current Liverpool setup, but one that the Reds have been linked with in the recent transfer window.
Zakaria has already shown that he is adaptable to different systems, playing either as a no.6 in a 4-3-3 or as one of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1. He might not straightaway suit the no. 8 role that Wijnaldum mostly plays in the Liverpool 4-3-3. But where he would add steel is that he could be brought in as someone to deputise for Fabinho.
Naby Keita ended the season on a storming note for the Reds, and might even start the next one as the first choice no. 8. But Zakaria could well be slotted in that role too, with him having the physical attributes and the tactical awareness to do so.
Klopp has already shown at Liverpool that he isn't afraid to use players in positions that may not seem their most natural. And the biggest example of that is Wijnaldum himself. He arrived as a no.10, but then reined himself in to be the mostly defensive no.8 that he now is.
#3 Marcelo Brozovic | Inter Milan
Brozovic is another player who Liverpool have supposedly been very interested in signing for a while now. And he would be an ideal replacement for Wijnaldum in more ways than one.
He's not exactly in the same mould as Wijnaldum, with the Croatian being a lot less quicker than Wijnaldum is. However, his technical ability is definitely on the level needed at Liverpool, to be resistant to an opposition press, and to ensure that he can set off attacks from midfield.
Liverpool's midfielders generally have been used by Klopp to do the dirty work, so as to allow the likes of Alexander-Arnold, Robertson and the front three to flourish. Going under the radar is something that Brozovic is used to as well.
He starts with Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic in midfield for Croatia. Brozovic just sits in with discipline and does his job so that his two more illustrious compatriots can do their thing in the middle of the park. As such, he'd be a very good option to replace Wijnaldum in Klopp's starting eleven.
#2 Houssem Aouar | Olympique Lyonnais
Aouar could come into this Liverpool side straight on the left side of the three. This would allow Fabinho and skipper Jordan Henderson to stick to their roles in the centre of the park.
In case Wijnaldum does leave Liverpool this summer, Aouar will be expected to compete with Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to fulfil the role of the creative ball-carrier in the Liverpool midfield.
Also, something that Aouar has shown during his development at Lyon is his eagerness in the press. The Frenchman also has the ability to win balls back through pressing. That fits a Klopp midfield hand-in-glove.
#1 Thiago Alcantara | Bayern Munich
The rumours linking Thiago to a Liverpool move this summer just won't go away. And at a reported £27m, it should ideally be a move that Liverpool make with no hesitation. However, there is one aspect that he does fall short in when compared to Wijnaldum.
A big asset to Klopp has been the fact that Wijnaldum has been available to him at most times, barely injured. Thiago, in contrast, has, throughout his career, struggled to appear in more than 25 games of a league season.
However, it is a move that would make a lot of sense for Liverpool. When their full-backs are closed out of games, they need an outlet to break lines and create from the middle. Thiago's press resistance coupled with his ability to pick a pass would be exactly what Liverpool need to go to the next level.
