Liverpool’s Multi-Club Model: Three Players FSG Could Sign This Summer | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Ambitious Multi-Club Model

Every day, FSG’s dreams of turning Liverpool into a multi-club model get a little bit closer. This was their intention when Michael Edwards announced his return as the head of football operations. Now the next step in the process has seen the return of Julian Ward as FSG’s technical director and the appointment of Pedro Marques as the director of football development.

There’s still a lot of questions as to how this multi-club model will work. We still don’t know what club or what country FSG will target. Rightfully, there will be concerns, too. Multi-club models are of precarious nature and it’s a difficult thing to balance. Success stories like Union SG and Brighton are an example to follow, but there are also warning signs such as what has transpired at Troyes – a club in France owned by the City Group – where fans have protested recently against the club’s ownership with Troyes teetering close to a second consecutive relegation in two seasons.

FSG will want to follow the Union SG-Brighton model – which equally benefits both clubs. If they can get that balance right, it’s going to be an exciting venture for Liverpool. A venture with the goal of attracting some of the best young talents in world football to FSG.

Anfield Index has taken a look at three players who could be on FSG’s radar to for their second club ahead of the summer transfer window.

Yuito Suzuki

Liverpool scouts have attended the 22-year-old Japanese forward’s games this season. Suzuki has been likened to a former Liverpool cult hero in Takumi Minamino, and he’s been catching the eye in Denmark over the course of the season.

Photo: IMAGO

In total he has 18 goal contributions in 26 matches for Brondby this season. He’s scored six goals and registered five assists in the club’s last seven league matches. What stands-out about Suzuki is that he is ambipedal. He can shoot and dribble comfortably with both feet, which makes him an unpredictable finisher but also a player who is suited to playing anywhere across the front three.

Based on that description alone he sound like someone Edwards and Liverpool’s recruitment team would like. It’s also encouraging to see that he has continued to build on his game. Back in the J.League, Suzuki struggled to convert his chances and had a goal conversion rate of 10%. But he realised he needed to improve that area of his game and has been putting in a lot of work to improve his finishing.

This season his conversion rate has skyrocketed to 30%.

The step-up from the Danish top flight to the Premier League is a huge one, but Suzuki could be a perfect fit for FSG’s second club. The Danish league in general is worth keeping an eye on. Liverpool have also tracked Franculino Djú and Darío Osorio from FC FC Midtjylland.

Ali Jasim

One of the most exciting young talents in Asian football is Ali Jasim. The Iraq international has recently secured his country’s place at Olympics in Paris while top-scoring the U23 Asian Cup.

Photo: IMAGO

He’s also scored four goals in five games in the AFC Champions League this season, and played a pivotal role in leading Iraq to the U20 World Cup last year by scoring the winner in the U20 Asian Cup quarter-final against Iran and then registering a goal and an assist against Japan in the semi-final.

Jasim is a very technically gifted player, he’s got a brilliant first touch and the ability to pull off the unexpected in one vs one situations. He generally averages a high volume of dribbles. At the U23 Asian Cup he attempted the most dribbles at the tournament (45). Meanwhile, at the senior Asian Cup earlier this year he had the best dribble success rate (75%) and tormented Liverpool’s Wataru Endo among other Japanese defenders at the tournament.

Not only is Jasim an effective dribbler but he also makes an impact in the final third. For Iraq’s senior national team he has six assists in 11 appearances. Meanwhile at U23 level he has 11 goal contributions in 10 games.

He’s only turned 20 years old earlier this year, and he’s on course to burst onto the scene at the 2024 Olympics – just like Mohamed Salah did back in 2012 at the Olympics in London. Jasim would be a smart purchase for FSG’s new model. He’s exactly the type of under the radar gem Michael Edwards and his team should be targeting.

Lorran

Liverpool scouts have always kept a close eye on the Brazilian market. And now with the multi-club model, we could finally see FSG securing some of those young talents.

Photo: IMAGO

There are a lot of players the club has been tracking this season in Brazil. One you may not heard much of yet is Lorran. The 17-year-old Flamengo winger is only starting to emerge onto the scene at the moment.

On his first league start for the club last weekend, Lorran scored a goal and registered an assist in a 2-0 win over Corinthians.

So far he has made 13 senior appearances (only five starts) and has two goals and three assists in 523 minutes, roughly averaging a goal contribution every 104 minutes, which is a really solid return. He’s left-footed and normally plays on the right-wing, which makes him an interesting profile for Liverpool – because that’s exactly the type of winger Jurgen Klopp and now Arne Slot prefers.

Physically, he’s very strong for his age and he is also capable of playing through the middle as a number ten behind the striker – although he is best suited to playing on the wing. Lorran is direct and effective on the ball. So far he’s averaged 7.07 dribbles per 90 for Flamengo’s senior team and completed 61.7% of his dribbles as per Wyscout while also making 4.21 progressive runs per 90.

Stylistically, there is a lot to like about him. He turns 18 years old in July, which means he will be eligible to make a transfer abroad as per FIFA rules this summer. He could be the perfect first signing for FSG from the South American market. He’s already demonstrated great potential, but his price hasn’t inflated just yet. Striking now means FSG could get him for a decent fee.