“Legwork Has Already Been Done.” – Paul Gorst On Liverpool Move For ‘Player All Coaches Would Want’ | OneFootball

A much-changed side secured Liverpool’s progress into the semi-finals of the EFL Cup earlier this week. Goals from Darwin Núñez and Harvey Elliott were enough to seal a 2-1 victory over Southampton and set up a two-legged tie against Tottenham in the next round.

Ahead of those clashes, the two sides meet this Sunday in a fixture which could see Arne Slot’s side confirm themselves as league leaders for Christmas.

One of Wednesday’s standouts was Wataru Endo, who started nominally as a centre-back but often stepped out of defence into midfield. The Japan captain has had little playing time this season amid suggestions that his skill set would not be suitable for a Slot side.

With the January transfer window approaching, rumours have circulated that a revival of the summer move for Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi could be on the cards given the head coach’s preference for a more technically-minded midfielder.

On the latest episode of our Journo Insight, we asked LFC Correspondent for the Liverpool Echo about a potential move for the Spaniard.

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“I don’t think Liverpool are a club who would cut their nose off to spite their face, so if there was a bit of frustration with how the Zubimendi stuff shook up in the summer, I don’t think that would burn any bridges, because I think Liverpool would be too pragmatic if they still think that he’s the one who can really improve the squad.

“That’ll be interesting to see what happens, whether he’s had another U-turn on the U-turn and has come full circle. Maybe he’s taken a look at what Liverpool have been doing in the Champions League in particular and thinks you have to be aboard this train.

“Manchester City could be at the table as well, couldn’t they? With the injury to Rodri and just the general need to perhaps shake things up at the Etihad.

“The legwork has already been done, because Liverpool were on the cusp of looking to trigger that release clause. I think that would grease the wheels a little bit.

“I think Liverpool are pragmatic enough not to think, ‘Oh, you’ve had your chance, Martin.’ I think if the right noises are made, it’s potentially one that could get done.”

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Redmen Reacts

Despite the plaudits for Wataru Endo against Southampton, Arne Slot is yet to trust him in either of Liverpool’s priority competitions. He has played just 22 minutes across nine appearances in the Premier League and Champions League, which means that a loss of form or injury to Ryan Gravenberch could be a real blow to Liverpool’s hopes in both competitions. The club were prepared to put on record Slot’s requirement for technical midfielders in the summer, and there is no reason why that should be any different now. Martín Zubimendi now knows that he would be joining a side who are likely to be in the shakeup for the biggest prizes come the end of the season, which is something that was not necessarily a given earlier this year. Boosting the midfield ranks in January would be a power move from a club potentially on the up. Perhaps Richard Hughes should find someone to import Zubimendi’s favourite Basque cuisine given that was one of the sticking points in July!