Liverpool have recently signed highly rated midfielder Naby Keita from RB Leipzig this summer. The Guinean International will play for the Reds from next season. However, it also means that Jurgen Klopp might lose his current best midfielder in the team, as Emre Can of Liverpool, is strongly linked with a move to Italian Champions Juventus.
As per reports, the German midfielder is close to an agreement to sign for the Old Ladies on a free transfer next summer. So what does it mean for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp? Will it affect their chances of claiming the Premier League title next season?
Well, fortunately for Jurgen Klopp, Emre Can isn’t leaving this season, therefore, he can have the services of the German International for one last season before new signing Naby Keita arrives at the club next summer.
However, any ardent Liverpool fan would gladly admit that Emre Can is their best midfielder at the moment. The ex-Leverkusen midfielder formed a strong bond in the middle of the park alongside his teammates, ever since arriving at the club and as the time progressed, he has only got better and better.
The German has excelled in his role as the holding midfielder ever since Jurgen Klopp arrived at the club. Playing alongside the dynamic midfielders in Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Adam Lallana, Can’s importance in Liverpool’s midfield is indispensable. He is a driving force of one of Premier League’s top counter attacking teams, with energy, power, and charisma to dominate the midfield for the Reds. Can looked very sharp in games against Hoffenheim and Arsenal.
Especially in the second leg of their UCL qualification playoff clash, Can excelled in the role of a holding midfielder, outwitting opposition midfielders in the process.
He always had the upper hand on youngster Dennis Geiger and also cut off any passing lines between the defence and the midfield, therefore, Hoffenheim playmaker Kerem Demirbay had to fight hard to find balls from the middle. Can battled hard and got rewarded for his efforts with two goals, which sealed Liverpool’s place in the Champions League.
Naby Keita, on the other hand, is a different midfielder. Unlike Can, Naby Keita likes to drive his team forward with deft touches, brilliant techniques and great qualities on the ball. He is not the most powerful player on the field, and certainly not the Emre Can kind.
Can usually likes to station himself in the middle of the mark and cut off any passing lanes from the opposition, somewhat similar to Arturo Vidal of Bayern, while Naby Keita likes to drop in to collect balls and then run in through the midfield, as a ball carrier, resembling current Man City and former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
Therefore, we can’t say for sure, that Naby Keita is a better midfielder than Emre Can or the other way around and the fact, that the Reds do need to search for a Can replacement next summer, is highly likely to happen. But one thing’s for sure, Juventus are the clear winners if the Emre Can deal does eventually take place.
