According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, European Champions Liverpool are said to be quite keen on signing 22-year-old English midfielder Lewis Cook. Currently plying his trade at the Vitality Stadium for Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side, the youngster has only recently made his way back into first-team action after spending most of the year dealing with the knee-ligament damage that he picked up last December. The youngster, who has been extremely highly rated by the Cherries staff, was given his England debut last year while he also managed to secure a new deal that went on till 2022.
What is Lewis Cook’s Background?
The Englishman was born in the quaint English town of York and initially made a name for himself while at the Leeds United youth academy. After being recognised as a potential starlet by the Leeds staff, he was promoted to the Whites’ first-team in the summer of 2014. After two highly successful years at Elland Road, Cook moved onto bigger things by joining Premier League outfit Bournemouth.
Having made the switch to the big leagues, the youngster did find it extremely difficult to break into the Cherries starting eleven. He made just six appearances all campaign in the league that year. The next term though would turn out to be the one that changed his life. Fast forward one year and the youngster was a regular in Eddie Howe’s midfield. If it wasn’t for his injury last year, he might not even have been a Bournemouth player now.
What Does Lewis Cook Add To A Team?
The midfielder is a diminutive figure in the middle of the park, but the influence he can have on football matches makes him quite the prospect. He operates mainly out of central-midfield and can often be seen in the slot between the two centre-halves. Adept at collecting the ball from the back and moving it forward effectively, the youngster’s main selling point is the fact that he can do just about everything well.
Although he might seem to lack a little bit in the physicality department, the Englishman more than makes up for it with pure, God-given talent and unbelievable technical ability. More than capable of dribbling a man or picking a pass, Cook has the intelligence and composure to make crucial decisions in the heart of midfield.
He tends to be an excellent pivot on the turnover and has the quality to pick out some special cross-field passes. Despite not being much of a goalscorer, the youngster has managed to showcase his talents on multiple occasions.
Will Signing Lewis Cook Be A Smart Move by Klopp?
To put things simply, Cook can best be described as a right blend between the Reds’ two English stalwarts – James Milner and Jordan Henderson. Although the youngster lacks the never-ending energy and dynamism of Milner, he encompasses all the other attributes of both these legends – be it Milner’s unpredictability or Henderson’s sheer dependability. With James Milner now 33, this could be the right time for Klopp to begin thinking about a long-term successor, and by the look of things, he won’t have to go too far to get his man.
