Arne Slot believes there are two West Ham gamers who “might simply have performed with us” after watching Liverpool’s slim 2-1 victory at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool finally confirmed their class with an emphatic winner from Virgil van Dijk within the 89th minute in opposition to West Ham, however they have been near slipping up once more.
Andy Robertson‘s late personal aim appeared to have handed the guests a deserved level, cancelling out an early effort from Luis Diaz, however luckily the captain stepped up.
As Slot spoke to reporters after the sport, he held West Ham‘s efficiency up for example of “what makes the Premier League so sturdy,” naming Lucas Paqueta and Muhammed Kudus as gamers who might play for his Liverpool facet.
“In addition they have gamers and that’s what makes the Premier League so sturdy this season,” he defined.
“I believe they’re sixteenth or seventeenth within the league however I can identify you one or two gamers that might simply have performed with us at the moment as effectively by way of high quality.
“That’s what the Premier League is about. They usually used them increasingly more within the second half, these two high quality gamers.
“They usually have extra, however I believe Paqueta and Kudus have been excellent at the moment, particularly second half.”
Whereas any hyperlinks with Paqueta would virtually definitely be a non-starter given his looming ban after an FA cost over betting offences, Slot’s point out of Kudus is especially fascinating.
The 24-year-old – used on Sunday as a drifting central striker however in a position to play in any position throughout the entrance line – has been touted with a transfer to Liverpool since he was at Ajax.
He has ties with Slot’s assistant and former Ajax head coach John Heitinga and can be out there this summer time, albeit with an £85 million launch clause in his contract.
Whether or not Liverpool will transfer for Kudus is unknown at this stage however with doubts over the way forward for Darwin Nunez together with Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa, he’ll probably be on their radar on the very least.
‘Kudus handed his switch audition’
Danny Gallagher (@danny7gallagher)
Mohamed Salah‘s succession plan is a giant level of focus within the internal sanctum of the Anfield war-room, and targets are consistently being drawn up and analysed.
One in every of which is most definitely an athlete who was on present within the type of Mohammed Kudus.
The Ghanaian was tracked by Liverpool previous to his change to the Premier League, and has now very a lot confirmed he can reduce the mustard within the English prime flight.
His tantalising lob halfway by the primary half, which just about caught Alisson unawares and clipped the crossbar, was a well timed reminder of each his approach and imaginative and prescient.
Kudus, at 24, is a critical footballer with an achieved skill-set who has many extra years of elite degree teaching forward of him to make him into a good higher and extra refined remaining product.
Given hypothesis over the way forward for Luis Diaz by no means appears to go away, maybe the identify of Kudus could possibly be on the lips of Liverpool followers once more sooner quite than later.
