Liverpool are a team who look set to make some additions in the January transfer window and it was recently revealed that Dutch winger Quincy Promes who plays for Spartak Moscow is one of the targets. Jürgen Klopp knows that he would need to bring in a replacement to fill the void of Sadio Mane when he’ll leave for the African Cup of Nations. It would be necessary thus to bring in someone who has the pace and can play on the wings and Promes certainly fits that description.
Born in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, the winger moved to FC Twente in 2009, after stints at the Ajax and HFC Haarlem youth academy. Having made his first team debut for Twente in 2012, the player spent a successful season on loan at Go Ahead Eagles. He scored 11 goals in 34 appearances for Twente before Spartak Moscow bought him for about £13 million in 2014.
In Russia, Promes has continued to impress. While many questioned the winger’s decision to make such an avant-garde move at such a young age, he kept doing what he had always done; score goals and provide assists.
The winger has been the top scorer of his current club for the past two seasons which gives us some idea of his impact in the opposition’s penalty box. 36 goals in 71 appearances is a really strong return for a player who is played in a wide position primarily.
His array of skills have seen him bamboozle the opponents repeatedly when he gets to the byline. Capable of playing in many positions, the versatile Promes becomes effective with his intelligence in his decision making. Playing as a right winger, Promes is often able to surprise his opposition by either cutting inside and shooting or by taking his man on and crossing from out wide. Promes is thus able to combine the qualities of a modern inside forward with the skills of an old fashioned winger.
His versatility would be thus a key factor in allowing him to function properly at Liverpool. Normally Dutch players do possess a greater deal of tactical attacking intelligence than the others and Promes is a very good example of that. Playing with the Dutch national team, the 24-year old has functioned as an important pivot in attack in recent matches, combining effectively with fellow attacker Vincent Janssen, as well as Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.
Also, he has shown that he knows how to keep his game unpredictable by staying wide and aiming for the cross at appropriate moments. His pace and technical abilities allow him to get past defenders and move the ball into the box. Jürgen Klopp will certainly be signing a player who has all the qualities of filling in for Mane if he signs Promes but it will be interesting to see how he manages to use his strengths to cope with the demands of the Premier League.
