Liverpool are deemed unlikely to move for Romeo Lavia this early in the window, Neil Jones has suggested.
The GOAL journalist was writing for CaughtOffside’s Substack and pointed to a host of factors – including the lack of a guarantee as an instant fit, the fact the Reds aren’t conducting their business from a position of strength, and a potentially unsuitable personality – standing in the way of a transfer.
“He’s a young player and if Liverpool were in a better position and trying to make small improvements from a position of strength, then I could see Lavia being high up on their agenda, based on his age, his potential and his style of play,” the reporter told the publication.
“I just suspect now, with the way things have gone wrong for Liverpool in the last year or so, that they feel they need someone who’s a bit more of a guarantee, someone with a bit more of a proven record of what they can do at the top level. Lavia is a top talent but I get the impression he’d possibly be seen as too much of a gamble at the moment.
“He’s a player they admire and they’re by no means alone in that – Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, they’re all in there, but from a Liverpool perspective, whenever I’ve spoken to people around the club about Lavia, the impression I’m getting is that it’s maybe a bit too soon for Liverpool to put all their eggs in that basket.
“Still, it looks like it could be a busy summer with midfielders, and we’re yet to see exactly what happens with Arsenal and Declan Rice, what Chelsea decide to do with someone like Moises Caicedo, and I’d be amazed if Manchester United weren’t interested at some point with what they need in midfield, so there’s a risk in leaving it too long and I wouldn’t be that surprised if, depending on how the cards fall, that this ends up being one Liverpool could circle back to.
“For now, though, I’d keep more of an eye on Thuram than Lavia. If you look at the history of Liverpool’s signings in recent years there’s definitely a pattern in terms of the age – somewhere between 23 and 25, and the price, so I think that’s where Lavia, who only turned 19 in January and who might cost upwards of £50m, doesn’t quite fit the profile.
“It also takes a particular personality to thrive in this Jurgen Klopp side – they often tend to sign players who’ve overcome difficulties elsewhere and maybe have a point to prove, or worked their way up from a lower level. So many of them fit that bracket, like Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Fabinho, whereas someone like Lavia would be a bit of a move away from that – it doesn’t mean it can’t happen but I’d be surprised.”
Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone, both aged 22, appear better fits by comparison; they seem more rounded players, potentially cheaper options, not to mention the Merseysiders seem to have already put in more of the legwork.
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That’s not a never for Lavia, mind. We can make all the pretty lists we want and put in all the personal effort with the players we like and still come second in the race for their signature.
Or, more simply, it just doesn’t appear a feasible transfer for whatever reason the club deems most central in the equation, which could still lead us back to the teenager’s doorstep.
Standing at less than 6′ tall (5’11”, to be precise), however, we do have some reservations about what the potential acquisition of the Southampton ace would mean for the stature of our midfield.
Bearing in mind that Alexis Mac Allister stands at only 5’9″, despite his phenomenal talent, we feel it’s important that physically imposing units (like Thuram at 6’4″) are prioritised at a time when Liverpool’s midfield has come under fire for a lack of physicality.