Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has urged the club to make a move for Aston Villa star Jack Grealish.
Murphy says, speaking to the Daily Mail, that he could replace an ageing James Milner and that he would have him in the team over Naby Keita in midfield.
Twitter: Danny Murphy on Grealish: “Even though Liverpool are currently well-stocked for midfielders, what if Wijnaldum does… https://t.co/eaTVxE1lXt (@AnfieldEdition)
It must be said, though, that Liverpool have not recently been linked with Grealish and there is no suggestion that they will sign him this month.
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Would Grealish be a better option than Keita in Liverpool’s midfield? The statistics suggest that he would, albeit marginally. This season, Grealish has recorded a WhoScored rating of 7.41, with Keita scoring 7.16 for Liverpool. Grealish has scored six and assisted five, whilst Keita has only contributed with one goal and one assist.
However, Grealish has played the majority of his games out on the left flank, drifting into central positions and dictating the play for Villa. Keita, on the other hand, has only been deployed in the middle in Liverpool’s system. And whilst the stats favour Grealish, you could argue that it is easier for him to shine as Villa’s main outlet and captain than Keita when he is simply another cog in Liverpool’s impressive team.
If Grealish does make a move to Liverpool at some point, it would be interesting to see whether he would be able to make the same impact. His use of the ball is excellent, averaging 2.7 key passes per-game and an 85% pass completion rate. If he could translate this into a central area for Liverpool in the same position Keita plays, Murphy would be spot on with his assessment.
