Liverpool might be a work in progress right now, but Andoni Iraola believes the Reds are well-stocked for the future.
Last year’s stripped-back defence has been repurposed. Jeremy Jacquet looks a revelation, and Ronald Araujo has dovetailed right in. Giovanni Leoni is on the brink of returning from a year-long injury.
However, in attack, things still aren’t clicking. Iraola has dropped expectatons for free-flowing attacking play and instead rooted his system in a solid foundation. It’s working just fine so far, with Liverpool unbeaten across seven games in all competitions.
More is needed, and the scapegoat right now is Florian Wirtz, who is paling in comparison to Philippe Coutinho, his attacking midfield predecessor at Anfield.
Why Coutinho was special for Liverpool
Under Jurgen Klopp’s management, Liverpool only bloomed into something greater after Coutinho was sold to Barcelona in a record-breaking £142m deal. The Brazilian playmaker was a magician, but the funds chequed allowed the Reds to create a super-team.
One of the most unforgettable stars of the past two decades at Liverpool, Coutinho played a crucial role as this outfit resurged toward superstardom – albeit from a distance after his transfer to Spain.
It’s worth noting that Coutinho was not a superstar from the off at Liverpool. He grew into his skin over a number of years, developing after that £8.5m move from Inter Milan in January 2013.
Wirtz has time to bring it all together, but whether he will remains to be seen.
Iraola needs instant results, and it’s clear that the Merseysiders need to sign a more effective option in the centre. They might have the perfect option on their radar.
How Liverpool can sign their next Coutinho
Coutinho was a maverick, bursting with vim and vigour when on the ball and attacking, but he was also combative when against the run of play. During that final six-month stint in the Premier League with Liverpool, he won 5.6 duels per game.
Wirtz lacks that kind of robustness, but Liverpool could fix that by signing Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott. According to Fabrizio Romano, FSG have held talks over a possible move for the 22-year-old.
“What I can tell you guys is that Chelsea made one official approach and one official bid. Bournemouth never wanted to sell Alex Scott. The answer was the same to Chelsea and to Arsenal. Some calls from Liverpool too.
Liverpool know the player so well. Liverpool have been in connection with people close to the player over the summer but never putting a bid on the table.”
It’s early days yet, but Scott is making headway at the Vitality Stadium, having remained at the club following Iraola’s exit. The £80m-rated talent‘s decision to stay put appears to be paying off, for he is improving his technicality, more athletic and dynamic in the middle of the park. Most importantly, he is growing into a commanding presence at the heart of Marco Rose’s system.
Growing into an “utter superstar“, according to Sky Sports’ Joe Thomlinson, Scott is not quite cut from the same cloth as Coutinho, but there are clear similarities between the two, both forward-thinking midfielders with balletic movements which outfox many defenders.
|
Premier League Stats (25/26) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (* per 90) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|
Matches (starts) |
37 (34) |
5 (5) |
|
Goals + Assists |
3 + 1 |
1 + 0 |
|
Touches* |
54.2 |
70.6 |
|
Accurate passes* |
31.9 (85%) |
40.8 (82%) |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
0 |
|
Key passes* |
0.8 |
2.2 |
|
Possession lost* |
10.4 |
14.8 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
0.8 (56%) |
0.8 (67%) |
|
Ball recoveries* |
5.3 |
7.2 |
|
Def. contributions |
4.8 |
4.8 |
|
Duels won* |
5.0 (56%) |
6.6 (59%) |
You could see it as England demolished Croatia 7-0 at the weekend. It was an absurd result in the Nation’s League, and Scott, on his first start for the Three Lions, controlled things from the centre of the park, outplaying Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic.
Whether he sticks to a deep-lying role or is fashioned into a more advanced midfielder remains to be seen. He is a natural duel-winner, but that doesn’t mean he can’t flourish in a Coutinho (and Wirtz) type area.
“He is playing as a six, as an eight, as a 10.” These are Iraola’s words, plucked from the 2025/26 season. The opportunities are limitless, and moving to Liverpool would reunite the Guernsey-born star with a manager who shaped him into the player he has still yet to become.
Scott shares with Coutinho a sort of springiness on the ball. He dances around the pitch, skipping into space and intelligently knocking passes into dangerous areas, perfectly weighted.
He might not be quite so focused on scoring and taking headlines for himself – but they come for him anyway.
Wirtz is a gifted footballer, but many talented players have fallen by the wayside in the Premier League. English football is all Scott has known, and as he continues to go from strength to strength, it becomes all the clearer that a club like Liverpool would hit the jackpot, should they sign him.
