Steve Nicol has claimed that Yunus Musah, also a target for Arsenal and Chelsea, is not ready to play for Liverpool yet.
According to a report from 90 min, Liverpool are one of three Premier League clubs keen on signing Yunus Musah. However, former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has now revealed that the 20-year-old midfielder, also a target for Arsenal and Chelsea, is not ready to play for the Reds.
Speaking to ESPN, Nicol has admitted that Musah has impressed during the World Cup and is a talented young player. However, he added that Liverpool have players better than the Arsenal and Chelsea target in the central midfield and that he is not ready to play for the Premier League side yet.
“Not yet,” Nicol replied on ESPN when asked if the midfielder had enough quality to play for Liverpool.
The former right-back added, “I mean he has had a good World Cup as far as the dirty side of the game, the running, the challenging, the winning the ball back. You could argue that Liverpool’s best team, they had three guys in the middle of the park that were really good at that. But no, I don’t think he’s close to Liverpool yet.”
It is no secret that Liverpool will need to improve their midfield options in the upcoming windows, and the 20-year-old could prove to be a smart acquisition. But the USMNT international is also a target for Chelsea and Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will likely lose players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, and James Milner at the end of the season when their contracts expire. That leaves Jurgen Klopp with Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as the only central midfielders. So Klopp needs to add more bodies to the midfield, and Musah could prove to be a quality long-term acquisition.
The youngster has already proven his quality with Valencia in La Liga, and he has done well in the World Cup with the United States national team as well. Apparently, Chelsea and Arsenal are keen on securing his services, and it will be interesting to see if the Reds can compete with their Premier League rivals and sign the 20-year-old in the upcoming windows.
Regardless of what Nicol thinks about the player, the Arsenal academy graduate has a high ceiling, and Klopp could help him develop into a top-class player. Liverpool have been linked with a number of midfielders in recent weeks, with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Sofyan Amrabat being top targets.
The Reds need to bring in more than just one central midfielder at the end of the season. And it will be interesting to see if they can sign players like Bellingham, Amrabat and Musah.
That said, the 20-year-old youngster will be hoping to play regular first-team football, and that might be difficult at Anfield. He will have to compete with players like Fabinho and Thiago and will unlikely get regular starts at Liverpool.
