Liverpool’s heavy-weight clash with Manchester City will be followed by the January transfer window, where often inflated player transfer fees reign supreme. Jürgen Klopp is likely to strengthen his team in a bid to narrow the gap on Chelsea and match them for quality on the bench, something Liverpool don’t necessarily have. That, coupled with Sadio Mane’s impending departure for the AFCON means they need at least one attacking player.
Recent reports have linked the Reds with a move for PSG attacker Jesé Rodriguez. The 23-year old moved to PSG earlier in the summer but has struggled to get into the starting line-up and has started just one game for the Parisians. After just half a season, he’s angling for a move and Liverpool could be a good destination for the versatile attacker who did a pretty good job at Real Madrid last season whenever he was called upon by Zinedine Zidane.
He played in as many as 28 league games for Los Blancos last season and had his purple patch towards the end of the season when he managed three goals and four assists in just six games. His good output helped Real Madrid close the gap on Barcelona and even though they eventually ended up second, it allowed them to focus on the Champions League and win the Undecima.
What’s attracting Liverpool is his ability to adapt in the attack. Primarily a left sided winger, Jesé can play anywhere in the front three and considering how Liverpool play, he could be a valuable addition to the squad. Liverpool’s front three have shown enough versatility to be rotated midway through the games, and Jesé is someone who can successfully do that.
The Reds are still in three competitions, so Jesé will definitely get game time, and perhaps more than what he’s managed in the French League (just 263 minutes football).
The Spaniard has a pretty good burst of pace and his passing is solid as well, which means he could be a good replacement for Mane who will miss most of the games in January.
The issue of game time needs to be highlighted here, though. Once Mane returns, Jesé is likely to return to the bench unless he makes too big an impact and become indispensable to the team. Mane has done exceedingly well and is one of the candidates for the signing of the season, so Jese’s task won’t be easy if at all he does make the move to Anfield.
