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Liverpool are available in the market for one more midfielder and up to date reviews have linked them with Crystal Palace‘s Cheick Doucouré.
The Athletic has been a type of making that hyperlink in latest weeks, so the participant may quickly be heading to Anfield – if the Reds get their means, after all.
However who’s Doucouré, and extra importantly, simply how good is he? Soccer FanCast has taken a glance into the information for all the things it’s essential to know.
What’s Cheick Doucouré’s background?
Doucouré is a Malian participant who spent the early a part of his profession with RC Lens. He began his skilled profession there in 2018, with the membership sitting in Ligue 2.
Two seasons at that degree noticed them promoted, although, and Doucouré continued to impress in France’s high flight. These performances earned him a transfer to Crystal Palace final summer time in a deal value as much as £26m.
The place does Cheick Doucouré play?
Doucouré is a defensive midfielder, with WhoScored’s knowledge inserting him in both deep midfield or a extra conventional centre-midfield position. Irrespective of the place he’s, the Malian is all about successful the ball again and defending his again 4.
That will be the first cause Liverpool signal him if they’ll discover a take care of Palace.
What’s Cheick Doucouré’s type of play?
Doucouré is a defence-first participant. He averages somewhat over one shot per 90 minutes, says FBref knowledge, whereas he is not often concerned in build-up play. Once more, the information reveals this – the 23-year-old is immediately concerned in creating beneath two photographs per 90. That is very, very low.
His passing maybe explains that greatest. Doucouré solely handed it into the penalty space 11 occasions final season, whereas he averaged beneath 5 progressive passes – that are ahead passes of not less than 10 yards – per 90.
It will not be a shock to be taught that he does not dribble usually, both – he solely tried to dribble previous somebody 21 occasions final time period.
What you get, then, is a participant who focuses virtually solely on stopping the opposition.
How good is Cheick Doucouré?
So allowing for what Doucouré desires to do, it is simple to see why Liverpool have an interest. His standout stat is in interceptions, the place the participant averages 1.8 per 90 – that is within the high 3% of midfielders throughout Europe’s high 5 leagues.
And it is defensive stats throughout the board that additionally stand out right here. Doucouré is throughout the high 15% of midfielders for tackles within the remaining third and the share of dribblers tackled, in addition to in mixed tackles and interceptions.
General tackles gained are additionally a spotlight, the place he locations within the high 13%, as does his capacity to get better unfastened balls, which ranks among the many high 25%. It isn’t usually you discover a participant able to doing all of this to a excessive degree.
It is value mentioning that Doucouré is in step with the ball, too. Whereas he not often tries to take gamers on, he is very profitable at it when he does – solely 4% of midfielders are extra profitable.
He is dependable on the ball, averaging beneath one mis-control per 90 (inserting within the 74th percentile) and is within the 83rd percentile for touches within the defensive third.
All in all, Doucouré is an extremely constant participant – and one with a really vivid future.
How outdated is Cheick Doucouré and what’s his potential?
Doucouré continues to be solely 23 and all of those spectacular stats got here in his debut Premier League season. Not solely that, however Palace weren’t particularly constant final outing, even altering their supervisor midway by.
As a part of a extra constant aspect – and with further Premier League expertise beneath his belt – there’s each cause to imagine that Doucouré can enhance rather a lot, even subsequent season – whether or not that is at Selhurst Park or Anfield.
What’s Cheick Doucouré’s damage file?
This can be a large concern for Liverpool followers, after all. The Reds have had some wonderful midfielders lately, although just about all of them have battled critical accidents – or just needed to take care of a lit of time within the therapy room.
Doucouré is definitely fairly distinctive in that regard. Transfermarkt has him down as struggling only one notable damage in his complete profession thus far – a muscle drawback again in early 2021 – and that solely noticed him miss one sport.
There have been some gentle ‘health’ points firstly of the 2019/20 season, however that is your lot.
Who would Doucouré substitute at Liverpool?
As per The Athletic’s article on the Reds’ curiosity, Doucouré would primarily substitute Fabinho within the squad.
The Brazilian is anticipated to go away for Saudi Arabia in a £40m deal to Al-Ittihad, with the midfielder present process a medical earlier this week and being not noted of the membership’s pre-season journey to Singapore.
Fabinho is basically the one out-and-out defensive midfielder in Jurgen Klopp’s squad. Doucouré is a pure alternative, then, and the Reds would arguably do very properly to seek out somebody higher suited to the job.
How would Jurgen Klopp use Cheick Doucouré?
This one’s fairly attention-grabbing as change seems to be on the horizon at Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp has sometimes used a really versatile midfield, choosing multi-faceted gamers within the centre of the park.
Certainly, the acquisitions of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have already been famous signings of that ilk.
Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum have been one of the best examples of that within the Reds’ Champions League and Premier League-winning aspect. Each gamers might be stable defenders, whereas each have been comfy of their possession video games, too. And, after all, that they had the vitality to press excessive and play at tempo.
However Liverpool have moved to rebuild their midfield this season, bringing in Szoboszlai and Mac Allister because the likes of Henderson, James Milner and Naby Keita all departed.
The brand new Reds pair are rather more attacking than former Reds similar to Henderson or Wijanldum, suggesting Klopp desires to be extra proactive and inventive along with his midfield.
Such a gameplan would require a protecting participant in defender to sit down behind them. That, actually, could be Doucouré’s position – he’d probably be requested to sit down deep and canopy for 2 gamers who need to be on the entrance foot – notably when taking the stats into consideration.
Certainly, he seems completely suited to just do that.
How does Doucouré examine to Moisés Caicedo?
Doucouré is not the one younger, energetic defensive midfielder to be linked with golf equipment this summer time. Moisés Caicedo can be supposedly wished and has been linked with Liverpool previously.
A glance into the information reveals a mixture of similarities and large variations. The standout of the latter is that Caicedo is simply much more achieved on the ball.
As per FBref, he averages over 20 extra touches per 90 minutes, and never solely does he try over 24 extra passes however he completes them at the next proportion.
But it surely’s the truth that they’re so comparable defensively is maybe why Liverpool will imagine they’re discovering a gem with Doucouré. The Malian wins extra interceptions than Caicedo, whereas his tackling is notably higher, too.
The Brighton man does make extra tackles general, however importantly, Doucouré wins possession on extra events. He additionally clears the ball twice as usually as Caicedo, whereas additionally committing fewer errors.
It is easy to see why there’s a lot hype round Caicedo as his stats, general, seem extra spectacular – and he is nonetheless simply 20.
However in the event you’re after an out-and-out defensive midfielder as Liverpool are, there’s an excellent case to be made for Doucouré – in the case of the information, not less than.
What are Cheick Doucouré’s wages?
Capology has Doucouré down as incomes round £60k per week – however we think about that wage would climb fairly a bit if he have been to hitch Liverpool.
For comparability, that is the identical determine Adrían earns at Anfield, once more per Capology, and solely six gamers earn lower than that on the pink half of Merseyside. Szoboszlai reportedly earns twice that and it’s totally attainable that Doucouré would demand a pay packet of an analogous degree.
What’s Cheick Doucouré’s asking value?
BBC reporter Alex Howell understands that Crystal Palace would need round £70m with a purpose to promote Doucouré this summer time. That is a giant improve on the £26m they dealt for only a 12 months in the past.
However of their defence, Liverpool apparently see that as a good value. It might now come down as to if the Reds can really pay it, and whether or not Doucouré is the participant they in the end determine to signal.
Who else may Liverpool signal this summer time?
Earlier than the supply for Fabinho, Liverpool have been linked fairly closely with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. The Reds are at the moment considered eager on shifting shortly for the Belgian amid potential competitors rising from rivals Chelsea.
There has additionally been speak of Khephren Thuram at OGC Good, per Sky Sports activities, even when hyperlinks to him have died down somewhat in latest weeks. Melissa Reddy has additionally beforehand named Sofyan Amrabat, Ryan Gravenberch and Kalvin Phillips as ‘mooted’ Fabinho successors.
In different phrases, there are alternatives galore proper now and it is not fully clear who Liverpool may transfer for.
Do Liverpool need every other signings?
The Reds went into this summer time needing to reinvest of their midfield. They’ve achieved simply that, with virtually definitely others to come back.
However there have been tentative hyperlinks to centre-backs, too. Joe Gomez’s future is not too clear, whereas Joel Matip’s contract expires subsequent summer time. A brand new addition there could also be shocking if nobody have been to go away however it’s one to maintain a watch out for.
Attacking choices appear set for now, even with Roberto Firmino departing. Although, Saudi Arabian curiosity in Luis Díaz may show problematic in the event that they have been to show his head in any respect. Once more, that is one to be careful for because the switch window thunders on.
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