Redknapp urges Liverpool to sign ‘underrated’ Man Utd, Arsenal target after ‘bonkers’ Klopp snub | OneFootball

Jamie Redknapp tells Liverpool to sign midfielder.

Jamie Redknapp has encouraged Liverpool to beat several Premier League rivals and Bayern Munich in the race to sign Joao Palhinha from Fulham.

The defensive midfielder was one of last season’s best signings in the Premier League as he shone for Fulham following his £20m move from Sporting Lisbon.

Pahlinha was targeted by clubs across Europe in the summer and at one stage he looked set to sign for Bayern Munich. This deal ended up falling through on deadline day after Fulham were unable to sign a suitable replacement.

Several Big Six clubs are now joining the race to sign Pahlinha as he is reportedly being monitored by Arsenal and Manchester United.

Liverpool did not sign a natural replacement for Fabinho in the summer so Alexis Mac Allister has been used in a deeper role. The World Cup winner recently claimed that he “really likes” playing in this “new position”.

“I like it (playing in a deeper role), of course, I’ve got to defend a little bit more, but that’s not a problem for me because I’m a team player,” Mac Allister told TNT Sports.

“It’s so important for the players to understand the game and that’s what I try to improve every day. Then you can play as an eight, six or 10, wherever.

“Now I’m playing as a six, which is a new position for me, but it’s a position I really like, I can do it and I can help the team from there.”

Liverpool are unlikely to sign a new midfielder in January after they spent £150m to overhaul that area of the pitch in the summer but Redknapp thinks Pahlinha would be a great signing.

“I am a big fan of Palhinha in midfield,” Redknapp said via Sky Sports. “I think he is one of the most underrated players.

“The job that he does. If I was Liverpool right now, I would look to get him in my midfield in January. He makes a big difference to any team.”

It was recently reported that Liverpool had “reservations” about signing Pahlinha after he was “offered” to them in the summer. TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook has described their decision to snub the Portugal international as “bonkers”.

Liverpool are at least faring pretty well with their current midfield and Mac Allister thinks his move to the Premier League giants tops off his “amazing year”.

“It is an amazing year for me, I achieved a lot of good things, World Cup, to qualify for Europe with Brighton and then sign for Liverpool,” Mac Allister added.

“(It was) pretty special for me. I’ve been training and working really hard to get to this place. I try to be a better person and a better player every day and I’m really happy and really proud of what I’m doing now.

“It was easy (to move to Liverpool) because the club and the manager made it easy because from the first moment, they showed a real desire for me and that was so important because in football, money is a big thing, but sometimes it’s not the biggest thing.

“The manager, the club showed a real desire, real interest, and I’m really grateful for that.”