According to reports, the Reds are considering making a summer raid on the gifted winger.
Arne Slot, the manager of Liverpool, will have the difficult task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield this summer. He will be hoping for a great inaugural season the following year.
Prior to the 2024–25 season, the Dutch manager is expected to join from Feyenoord, and it’s possible that he would prioritize the approaching summer transfer window.
It will provide him an opportunity to add his own touch to the team by making adjustments to the roster, albeit under the supervision of the team at the club above him.
It might take some time for Liverpool to get used to a new coach with different ideas because Klopp has been at the club for almost nine years and has molded the team to fit his style of play and aesthetic preferences.
This implies that during the upcoming months, as new hires settle in and existing players adjust to a new style of play, Slot may require patience from both the board and fans.
Liverpool is apparently trying to add players to strengthen their roster even though it is only May. One player from the Eredivisie is supposedly in their sights.
Liverpool’s pursuit of an Eredivisie genius
Slot and the Reds are planning a move to capture PSV star Johan Bakayoko this summer in order to expand their options, according to Football Insider.
The Premier League’s biggest teams are reportedly interested in signing the Belgium international, who they have been pursuing for a “while.”
This implies that they were already interested in the young forward before Slot moved to Anfield, and that the club may be taking a more club-led approach than the Dutch coach, who has struggled this season with PSV and Bakayoko.
The source also reports that negotiations about Mohamed Salah’s short-term future on Merseyside are scheduled for the upcoming weeks, with the Eredivisie star being considered as a potential long-term substitute for the Egypt international.
But it’s still unclear if the current Liverpool player will leave this summer or stick around for at least another season, maybe serving as Bakayoko’s mentor if the team is able to sign him.
PSV is reportedly holding out for a transfer fee of up to €60 million (£51 million) for the winger, according to a March report from Sky German’s Patrick Berger. However, the precise amount the Reds are willing to pay for his services is yet unknown.
However, if Slot and the hiring team can successfully negotiate a deal for the 21-year-old sensation, they may be able to get a player who would be a great addition to Diogo Jota at Anfield.
Johan Bakayoko’s remarkable artistic ability
Over the past year or two, the Belgian maestro has been playing fantastically for the Dutch team, demonstrating his capacity to have a significant impact at the top of the pitch, especially as a creative force.
In terms of assists per 90 (0.32) and expected assisted goals per 90 (0.29) during the last 365 days, Bakayoko is in the top 9% among attacking midfielders and wingers in the Men’s Next 14 Competitions (aside from the major five leagues).
Additionally, he is in the top 8% of his positional peers for non-penalty xG and xAG combined per 90 (0.60) and inside the top 12% for shot-creating actions per 90 (5.20).
These numbers demonstrate how consistently excellent the Reds target has been at producing for his teammates over the course of a year, making him one of the most creative players in his position in those competitions.
Even though Bakayoko plays in a different league, you can still observe that he vastly outpaced current Liverpool winger Luis Diaz in the final third.
The left-footed gem, 21, who plays on the right side, scored more goals with less square footage and generated much more opportunities for his teammates, even though he was on the field for four less games than the Colombian international.
With Jota at Anfield, the Belgium international—who manager Ruud van Nistelrooy previously praised as “dominant”—would prosper next to a clinical center-forward, as these numbers collectively demonstrate.
Why Diogo Jota could be a good fit for Johan Bakayoko
Given that the former Wolverhampton Wanderers star has shown that he is a deadly finisher, the Portuguese attacker might be the ideal man for the winger to play with.
Bakayoko only registered nine assists from 10.61 xA and 12 ‘big chances’ created in the Eredivisie during the 2023/24 campaign, which suggests that his teammates let him down with their wastefulness in front of goal as they did not make the most of his creativity.
That may not be the case if he gets the chance to play alongside Jota on a consistent basis next season as the right-footed forward, who can play out wide or through the middle, is a clinical attacker.
The table above illustrates how the 27-year-old star surpassed his xG by a significant margin, making him the most merciless finisher in the Liverpool team throughout the Premier League this season.
In the 2022–2023 season, he also netted seven goals from 6.5 xG in the top division and three goals from 2.08 xG in the Europa League.
These numbers demonstrate Jota’s continuous excellence in front of goal and his uncommon tendency to blow a great opportunity to score for the Reds.Based on his performance for PSV, Bakayoko may therefore be Slot’s ideal top-tier partner at Anfield. The 21-year-old talent has the potential to be a tremendous creative presence for Slot.They may constitute an interesting combination for the club since the Belgian wizard could regularly produce excellent opportunities, as he has done for the Dutch team, for Jota to take advantage of in the upcoming season and beyond.
