Liverpool will head into the remainder of the campaign with Ryan Gravenberch as their primary option for the No.6 role.
The departure of Stefan Bajcetic on loan to RB Salzburg will have understandably left sections of the fanbase concerned over the level of depth available for the position.
However, the fact the Reds retained Tyler Morton – despite interest from Bayer Leverkusen – is well worth noting judging by stats shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Bence Bocsak.
📊 Last season as per @CIES_Football Tyler Morton was one of the best press-resistant U21 midfielders in world football.
He had ball retention under high pressure rate of 86.9%.
Only Gavi (87.1%) and Zaïre-Emery (87.1%) ranked higher. #LFC should have signed a no.6 in my… pic.twitter.com/1s5IYgugtL
— Bence Bocsák (@BenBocsak) August 31, 2024
The former Hull City loanee recorded seriously impressive press-resistant numbers last term.
Follow Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
The Merseysiders did come close to landing Martin Zubimendi in the window, though Real Sociedad’s charm offensive won out in the end.
READ MORE: Gary Neville drops intriguing Man United v Liverpool prediction as Carragher jab made
READ MORE: Slot hints at long-term solution to No.6 spot as Ryan Gravenberch warned
What do the stats say about Tyler Morton?
Whilst there may be some slight concern over the 21-year-old’s pass completion rate (85.4% per 90, as per FBref), it’s worth noting that he’s currently more competent in that area, statistically, than the likes of Ryan Gravenberch (83.4%) and Dominik Szoboszlai (83.5%).
Likewise, Morton has proven more than reliable in holding on to the ball, being rarely dispossessed (0.62 dispossessions per 90). As a frame of reference, Zubimendi averages a dispossession rate of 0.48.
Whether the Englishman can maintain these figures in a division of the Premier League’s quality, of course, remains to be seen.
Nonetheless, it’s reassuring that Liverpool appear to possess some potentially decent cover in the ranks despite failing to land a new No.6 in the window.
EOTK Close-up with John Welsh: ‘a local lad who lived his dream’ and Slot’s LFC predictions
They could play next doors dog at No 6 for me as long as it ain’t Curtis Jones, I’m going to keep posting these comments till someone realises that he’s nowhere near a Liverpool player, Scouser or not.🤬🤬🤬
I’ve been saying it for years. I don’t think Slot will be fooled by his inability to pass quickly and in to dangerous areas. Plus I’ve heard he’s a bit of a bell end
Jurgen Klopp thought he was good enough to be a Liverpool player Chris, so that’s good enough for me. I can’t believe someone as astute as Jurgen based that opinion on Curtis being a scouser either, most likely it was based on Curtis being fucken boss at football, that he witnessed every day in training.
Yes… totally agreed