After emerging reports from Spain, Inaki Williams, the Athletic Bilbao winger has rubbished rumours that he could be joining Premier League giants Liverpool FC. T4O takes a look at possible alternatives Liverpool should be looking for if things fall out between the player and the club.
Williams has been heavily linked with Liverpool and some even claimed that that Jürgen Klopp is attempting to trigger his £45 million buy-out clause. Given the player’s athletic build and pace both on and off the ball, he could fit well in Klopp’s approach, which characterizes playing a high pressing and attack-minded football.
However, as per a latest report, Inaki Williams has said in a recent interview with AS (h/t McIlroy), the 22-year-old stated, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m where I want to be. I’m very happy where I am and I am very grateful to Athletic, to the fans, the club and my team-mates for their support. The truth is I’m very happy here and I want to stay here for many years. I want to be the one who makes the crowd at the San Mames go wild by scoring loads of goals.”
Considering his statements, here are three replacements Liverpool should consider.
Lorenzo Insigne
This Napoli player has also been linked to Liverpool and if reports are to be believed, his agent has hinted that the 25-year-old Italian will be leaving his boyhood club Napoli with things at the final stage of finalization.
The central attacking midfielder, who is right-footed and could play both from the centre and through the left flank, Insigne is on course to become a lethal forward. His pace and stamina could be a huge plus for Klopp’s tactics of playing, who believes in changing defence to attack in a blink of an eye.
Insigne has appeared 6 times for Napoli this season and has 1 assist till now. He put in a man of the match performance for his side against Bologna last month.
Julian Draxler
This 23-year old has been linked with many big clubs and Liverpool are one of them. Various reports also suggested that Arsenal were close to signing the 23-year old German and the player himself attempted to force a move this summer.
His 187 cm height makes him fit for the aerial duels in the Premier League and his dribbling abilities make him a very interesting prospect for any club. A left-footed player, Draxler specializes in playing defence-splitting passes and dribble past defenders.
He has made 4 appearances for Wolfsburg with 1 goal and 1 assist already this season.
Christian Pulisic
Having already played under Jürgen Klopp before, the 18-year-old is shaping up to be a great forward. Not having a towering height, Pulisic is more of a technical player, who has shown sparks on dribbling and finding strikers with key passes.
The American has thrived under Thomas Tuchel and because the duo of Tuchel and Klopp have a similar philosophy, Pulisic won’t take long to settle the club indeed go after him and get his signature.
He has made 4 appearances for Borussia Dortmund this year with 2 goals and 3 assists, with one of them coming in Champions League.
