Liverpool Should Still Target £40m Sporting Star Despite Amorim Reports | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Summer Transfer Targets: Amorim’s Key Man Could be Interesting

Despite recent reports suggesting that Ruben Amorim won’t be replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, there’s still a few Sporting players that could be on the Reds’ wishlist. The Portuguese side are on track to win the double over in Portugal, meaning that a lot of their players have become subject to interest from some of Europe’s elite clubs.

Many will be aware of the rumours linking Liverpool with the likes of Goncalo Inacio and Viktor Gyokeres, but today we’re going to be taking a closer look at another Sporting prodigy. That player is Pedro Goncalves…

Who is Pedro Goncalves?

Pedro Goncalves is a 25-year-old forward, currently playing for Sporting Lisbon in the Primeira Liga. The forward has played a pivotal role in Sporting’s hugely successful season, but has been overshadowed by the freak numbers put up from Viktor Gyokeres.

Photo: IMAGO

The Portuguese international has made 176 appearances for Sporting since joining from FC Famalicão back in 2020. Within those appearances, Goncalves has scored 76 and assisted a further 50 goals. He’s currently enjoying a breakthrough season for the Portuguese giants too, scoring 18 goals and assisting a further 16 across all competitions so far this season.

His impressive club form has also earned him call-ups to the Portuguese National Team, where he has so far made two appearances. Goncalves is actually familiar with English football too, having come through the Wolves academy as a youngster. Could this potentially leave a door open to a return to the Premier League?

Fitting the Liverpool Mould

Goncalves would be a pretty solid fit in Liverpool’s current system, mostly due to his incredible versatility. The 25-year-old has plenty of experience playing on either side of attack and also as a number ten. He has found most of his success this season as an inside forward mostly, due to Amorim’s tactical outlook.

Obviously these credentials depend on the tactics that are going to be implemented by the next Liverpool boss. Goncalves would likely cost around £40million, should Liverpool make a move in the summer transfer window.

Potential Salah Replacement?

Many Liverpool fans expect any forwards that Liverpool sign in the summer to be the long or short-term replacement for Mo Salah. With the Egyptian King’s Liverpool future constantly under scrutiny, a replacement would certainly be ideal sooner rather than later.

However, Goncalves may not quite be the perfect fit to replace Salah in this current tactical system. With Goncalves being right-footed, he wouldn’t be able to fit the inverted role that Salah currently operates in. He would instead be in competition with the likes of Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.

Crunching the Numbers

When looking at Goncalves’ overall numbers, it’s clear to see that they’re just as impressive as his goal involvement stats. Although he doesn’t possess the direct nature that Klopp prefers in a lot of his attackers, his constant goal threat is supported by the amount of shots and shot-creating actions he manages per 90 minutes.

He also boasts impressive numbers in terms of progressive passes and touches in the opposition penalty area. This sort of attacking prowess would be crucial to being a success at Liverpool and so would his high-pressing nature that sees him win a fair amount of tackles, too.