In a recent segment with ESPN FC (via the Daily Star), former Premier League midfielder Craig Burley claimed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will be a free agent at the start of next year, will be an excellent short-term acquisition for Liverpool when he said,
“We laughed when we talked about if Jurgen Klopp had been asked about him.
“I know he doesn’t fit their style, with the pressing style and all that.
“But they have nobody else, literally nobody else, other than Roberto Firmino [in a central attacking role].
“Please don’t talk to me about Divock Origi, you’re talking about Liverpool trying to get over the line in the Premier League for the first time in 20-odd years. Sometimes you need something different.
“We’re talking about a guy who may only be coming off the bench now and again for 20 minutes or half an hour, and just bringing something different, that bit of quality.
“Nobody is asking him to run around or close teams down in the first half of a game.
“But I think he (Ibrahimovic) can really offer something to a team like that for six months towards the end of the season. I don’t suggest it’ll happen, but it would work.”
Age Has Just Been A Number For Ibrahimovic In Recent Seasons
The 38-year-old is in the last legs of his playing career. However, he still managed to have a glorious season with LA Galaxy after scoring 31 goals and providing eight assists in 31 matches for the American club across all competitions. However, his contract with the Major League Soccer outfit will expire at the end of this year.
Ibrahimovic has been a prolific goal-scorer for mostly every team he has played for over the past decade. He can still find the back of the net when his team needs him the most. Hence, it is no surprise that Burley is urging the Reds to move in for him as he reckons that Jurgen Klopp doesn’t have enough strength in depth in the offensive end of the field.
However, Divock Origi has shown in the past that he can fill in quite well when any one of Liverpool’s front three gets injured. Therefore, Klopp might feel that there is no need to add to his squad when his current players are performing so well.
Do The Reds Need To Recruit The Swedish Striker In January?
At the moment, the Merseyside giants are sitting at the top of the Premier League standings while they are also leading their UEFA Champions League group by a point. It has been a remarkable start to this campaign, but Klopp’s ‘mentality monsters’ will be truly tested when the fixtures come thick and fast in the coming weeks.
Ibrahimovic has a terrific goal-scoring record at the international level, having netted 62 goals in 116 appearances for Sweden thus far. However, at 38, one can argue whether he has enough left in his tank to succeed in the English top-flight yet again. The fact that he had a fruitful spell for Liverpool’s arch-rivals Manchester United, where he scored 29 times in 53 matches, could make him an unwanted presence at Anfield as the club’s fans will be reluctant to accept him as one of their own.
Will Ibrahimovic Be A Good Fit For Liverpool?
The Swedish centre-forward will not suit Liverpool’s style of play as he is too static up top. He won’t be able to lead the press high up the pitch. At the same time, there is no doubt that Ibrahimovic can still make an impact off the bench as he is a consistent goal-scorer. However, he has a big ego which might disrupt the chemistry of the Liverpool squad. Hence, Klopp would be better off staying away from the veteran striker as he won’t be a good fit for the German head coach’s brand of football at Anfield.
