Alexis Mac Allister signing a ‘steal’ | Liverpool will bring in three more players, says Jamie Carragher

Liverpool’s £35m capture of midfielder Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion is a steal, according to Jamie Carragher, who has also predicted the Reds will sign three more players this summer.

Mac Allister, who was one of the stars of Qatar 2022, moved to Anfield last week for what is understood to be an initial fee of around £35m, although sources suggest it could rise to £55m.

Sky Sports News understands the Argentina international was identified as a key target for Liverpool prior to the World Cup and the club value its versatility.

“Well, he is certainly a good player, whether he ends up being a good signing as well we will see when the season starts,” Carragher told SSN.

“It looks like he can play every position in midfield, which will help Liverpool, but he looks a super talent.”

However, the Sky Sports pundit did offer a word of caution about the player’s move.

“Brighton are a brilliant team, the only thing I would say is a lot of players have come out of Brighton and not replicated the Brighton form in other teams,” he added.

“So is that because they are part of a special system at Brighton? [Roberto] De Zerbi has been fantastic this season, so that will be interesting to see.

“But it is a great signing, especially when considering the price as well – £35m is a steal for a World Cup winner, someone who has got Premier League experience and is only 24.”

Looking ahead to the rest of the summer window, which only opened last Wednesday, Carragher predicted a busy time for his former club as they look to respond to the disappointment of missing out on Champions League qualification.

Liverpool are reportedly looking at Nice’s Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone as Jurgen Klopp looks to bolster his squad.

“They need another midfielder at least, I think Liverpool will end up getting at least another two midfield players and I think they will need a defender as well,” Carragher said.

“Whether that is a center back, or a full back, remains to be seen. There is a lot of talk about whether Liverpool will keep with the system that they finished the season with, I think that is really interesting.

“But I think they will get another three players in, a defender and two midfielders.”

‘Mac Allister fits the bill for Liverpool’ | ‘He won’t be the only midfield signing’

Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O’Connor:

The signing of Mac Allister is in line with Liverpool’s planned strengthening of midfield.

They like his attitude in his fight to become an elite-level player having returned to Argentina twice for loan spells after moving to Brighton. He also didn’t feature in an Argentina national team until U20. In fact he only had eight full caps before the World Cup kicked off and had not played a full 90 minutes for them before then.

His progress has been tracked up to him becoming an elite performer in the Premier League and he was identified as a key target before the World Cup. His age (24) and games played (160) fit in with Liverpool’s key markers for tried and trusted performers…..Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, and Virgil van Dijk also fell into category of age 23-25 ​​​​and around 175 marks in terms of appearances.

He’s versatile meaning he can play all possible midfield roles and combinations. Klopp likes his game intelligence.

Mac Allister will not be Liverpool’s only midfield signing as they look to strengthen their options following the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

It makes sense to add greater depth given Fabinho will be 30 in October. Jordan Henderson will turn 33 this month. Thiago is 32 and has been beset by injury problems during his time at Anfield and has only 12 months remaining on his contract.

Further options would also aid rather than hinder the continued development of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Stefan Bajcetic and Fabio Carvalho, who could still be freed up for a loan spell for more regular first-team football.

How Mac Allister could help Liverpool rebuild midfield

Sky Sports’ Adam Bate:

Liverpool’s midfield has been scrutinized for some time, seen as the root cause of their decline. Overhauling it offers a route out of their problems. The acquisition of Mac Allister could prove to be a significant moment for Jurgen Klopp.

The Argentina international has pedigree. Already a World Cup winner, the 24-year-old midfielder has proven himself in the Premier League at Brighton and has the breadth of skills that make him an ideal fit for the demands at Liverpool.

It is why Jude Bellingham was long seen as the solution. At its best, a Klopp midfield includes players who can defend and attack, tackle, pass and shoot. Mac Allister can do all of that. Speaking to him in January, he was acutely aware of his own positional flexibility.

“I always say that I like to be in contact with the ball,” he told Sky Sports. “The closer I am to the ball, the better I feel. I like to play as a midfielder. It does not matter if it is as a 6, an 8 or a 10. I grew up as a 10. But then I understood that I could play in more positions.

“I think it is important for the modern player to be able to play in different positions to give the team and the manager different options. If you ask me I would say that today I feel more comfortable as an 8, but I know I can play as a 6 or a 10.”

Merson: Mac Allister does simple stuff very, very well

Sky Sports’ Paul Merson:

“He’s a very good player, a very calming influence on the pitch. He keeps the ball and ticks it along, and reminds me a bit of an Ilkay Gundogan without the goals.

“He’s a different kind of player to Jude Bellingham who they wanted before. Bellingham would get forward a bit more, but Mac Allister does the simple stuff very, very well.

“People might say, ‘Oh, the simple stuff?’ But there’s not a lot of players who can do that.”

‘It’s a huge loss for Brighton’

Sky Sports News’ Anton Toloui:

“This is what Brighton are losing. They’re a bit of a victim of their own success for how they’ve developed him over the last couple of years. The 10th highest number of shots across the whole Premier League – he’s creative, he can add things to the final third, and he will put the hard work in too.

“He’s top of so many metrics for Brighton, it’s a huge loss for them as they go into their first season in Europe. We know how they work, they’ve already got targets lined up. We know Mahmoud Dahoud is coming in from Borussia Dortmund but he’s not exactly like-for-like.

“With the speculation around Moises Caicedo this summer, it’s going to be really interesting to see what they do in midfield. It’s a huge loss for Brighton – and it shows why Liverpool went out and got him signed so early.”