Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma has attracted the interest of a number of top teams around Europe, with some impressive, game-changing performances. One team that has been strongly linked with the Japanese player is Liverpool.
The Reds are in a period of transition, with veteran players departing and exciting new and proven talent being brought in to hopefully steer the team into a new era of dominance.
Mitoma is a player who could fit the bill perfectly for JurgenKlopp’s team. In this guide, we look at Mitoma’s history, why Liverpool want him so badly and how much he might cost.
First, let’s take a look at the latest transfer news.
The latest transfer news
After an impressive season, Brighton knew they were going to have a tough time keeping hold of Mitoma in the summer. Somehow, they managed, though they lost many of their key players, such as MoisésCaicedo and Alexis Mac Allister.
Despite the transfer window closing, the talk about Mitoma moving to another club continues. And it’s not just Liverpool keen on the move, but Manchester City, Napoli and Barcelona too.
A move for Mitoma wouldn’t be cheap, however. Valued at the moment at around £30m, that price continues to rise as he maintains his impressive form. And the greater the number of teams interested in him, the more Brighton can demand. A bidding war may ensue, and it may simply come down to who Mitoma wants to play for most of all.
About Kaoru Mitoma
Kaoru Mitoma isn’t your average footballer. The Japanese left winger studied at the University of Tsukuba and wrote his thesis on the art of dribbling in football. Mitoma continued to play amateur football for the university for four years, and scored goals to help defeat the professional teams they faced in Japanese cup competitions.
His professional career began with Kawasaki Frontale. He played a total of 50 league games, scoring an impressive 21 goals in the process. That earned him a deal with Brighton & Hove Albion, who he joined in 2021. He was loaned out to Union SG for that first season and scored a hattrick in one game.
After a successful season there, he returned to Brighton and became part of the first team setup. He hit the ground running and put together a string of superb performances. He scored 10 goals last season, including some Goal of the Season contenders, and played a total of 41 games in all competitions.
Do Liverpool need another winger?
The harsh reality for Liverpool is that its once formidable squad is now ageing and showing signs of strain. A number of veteran players, such as Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho, have moved on in the last few years.
They’ve also maintained some of their older and experienced players, notably Mo Salah, who was touted in a £150m move to Saudi Arabia, and Virgil van Dijk and JoëlMatip, both in their early 30s too. The reality is that these players only have so many years left in them, and thoughts need to turn to the future and to the crop of players coming through.
But to compete at the top, it’s impossible to rely on young talent alone. A team like Liverpool needs a strong squad of experienced and able players. And with so many goals coming from their wide players, they need strength in depth.
With Liverpool playing in all available tournaments, the odds of them achieving success with a shallow squad are slim. Bookmakers and sportsbooks are likely to mark them as underdogs, whereas only a few years ago, Liverpool were one of the greatest and most formidable teams in the world.
At the moment, Liverpool has Salah, Luis Díaz, Núñez, Jota and Gakpo who can play on the wings. The reality is, however, that Jota, Gakpo and Núñez are better in the middle, leaving Liverpool with only two wide options. Signing a player of Mitoma’s quality is an absolute must.
What could Mitoma bring to Liverpool’s team?
Jurgen Klopp loves wingers who can score goals. Mo Salah has consistently been Liverpool’s top goal scorer from the right wing, for a number of years. The left-wing hasn’t been the same since SadioMané left, so bringing in Mitoma, who loves to score goals, would be a great addition.
His dribbling skills, intelligence, vision and passing ability, not to mention his high work rate, make him an ideal player for a Jurgen Klopp side.
