Liverpool scouts were present at Luis D’az’s old team, Porto, where a player who had been compared to Roberto Firmino previously was playing
Liverpool is actively looking to acquire players this summer. In his most recent press conference, Jürgen Klopp stated that the club is currently looking ‘in all departments apart from goalkeeper at the moment’ due to the potential departure of key players in every position.
For Liverpool fans, Klopp’s remarks will be interesting to hear, as you can see on the Blood Red YouTube channel, especially in light of reports from Portugal that suggest club officials were present to watch Porto over the weekend as the team defeated Famalico 4-2 in a match.
The Sunday edition of the Portuguese newspaper O Jogo claimed that Liverpool scouts were present at the game, but the publication did not specify who the club was looking for.
Of course, Liverpool has recently done business with Porto, bringing in Luis Daz and selling Marko Gruji, implying that the two clubs will have good contacts.
The Reds’ best bet in terms of possible replacements is Porto’s substitute forward Evanilson. Under Klopp, he has been on the club’s radar in the past.
When he was at Fluminense, the young forward was heavily scouted by the club, according to Brazilian outlet Netflu.
Evanilson, on the other hand, ended up moving to Porto, where he was on the outskirts of the first team until the last two seasons, when he blossomed into a useful player for the Portuguese side.
He scored 21 goals for the club last season and has nine goals and nine assists this season, averaging 0.76 goal contributions per 90 minutes.
The same weekend Liverpool officials were in Porto, the Reds’ Brazilian ace was saying his goodbyes at Anfield, according to This is Anfield’s James Nalton, Evanilson’s style of play is a’bit similar’ to Roberto Firmino’s due to being of similar height and stature, which adds more intrigue.
He has the pressing statistics to fit Liverpool’s forward line in terms of style. Although he may not be as technically gifted as Firmino, he has a frantic nature that could make him a Premier League fan favorite.
His 0.42 tackles per 90 minutes in the final third this season in Liga NOS places him in the 80th percentile among positional peers, according to FBref, and unquestionably qualifies him to play in Klopp’s gegenpressing system.
In addition, he has predatory finishing instincts and will create for his teammates. This season, he ranks in the 95th percentile for non-penalty expected goals, averaging 0.60 per 90 among his positional peers, according to FBref, and in the 95th percentile for goals per on target. However, with 0.21 assists per 90, he is in the 86th percentile for expected assists.
He could be an excellent backup forward for Liverpool. The only question now is how much Porto is willing to part ways with him for. Liverpool may have to pay a significant sum to sign him on a long-term contract until 2027.
Leave a Reply