Liverpool lead Real Madrid for £41m star in ‘Palmer mould’

The Premier League has watched with envy as Cole Palmer‘s career reached stratospheric heights with Chelseasigning in 2023 after being dismissed by Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City.

Things could be very, very different if the four English champions in a row held on to one of the biggest talents in world football. Liverpool would most likely find themselves embroiled in another grueling title fight with the indomitable Citizens.

As it happens, the Reds have put themselves in the driving seat in the 2024/25 title race, while City have slipped into a spectacular slump. Arne Slott‘s side is thriving, but there is no doubt that improvements could be made at Anfield Road.

If Liverpool had their own version of Palmer, who is coming off Chelsea’s surprise season, he could reach another level, higher and invincible.

Liverpool transfer news

According to Spanish sourcesLiverpool are leading the race for River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono, despite Real Madrid also firmly in the picture.

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder has been riding the crest of a wave in his homeland and has also tempted Arsenal and Chelsea, but it is the Merseyside outfit who are in the driving seat.

The Argentine giants will be looking for €50m (£41m) to part with their prized possession, and while that is a significant figure for an unknown commodity, Liverpool must recognize the value of signing one of the most important talents in South American football.

What Mastantuono would bring to Liverpool

He may only be 17 years old, but Mastantuono has already shown significant potential. River Plate is well regarded worldwide for its production line, with Enzo Fernandez and Julian Alvarez both hailing from the Belgrano neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires.

Given that he’s an Argentine attacking midfielder, comparisons to the great Lionel Messi obviously jump out, but a deeper analytical dive would suggest he’s of a different mold.

While it is true that Matantuono stands out for his elite technical quality, he channels his talents through the lanes of play to a degree that sets him apart from someone like Messi, who was an unstoppable ball carrier during the early stages of his career, and indeed the present day, even with his backward pace.

That’s not to say he doesn’t use his skills in a similar way, as you can see from his incredible free-kick for River Plate at the start of 2024 when he was just 16.

to have he scored only three goals and three assists in 41 professional appearances, there’s no doubt he has plenty of work to do, but Mastantuono has amply demonstrated his perfect style for Premier League football.

After all, he is considered to have stylistic similarities to Chelsea’s Palmer, and when you consider the remarkable impact the England international has had since then. join the Blues in a £42.5m dealLiverpool would be wise to complete this move and create their own version.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best players in world football and 32-year-old Mohamed Salah has adjusted his game to promote greater creative output as his athletic qualities recede, but Liverpool could certainly do with more things from the middle of the park.

Palmer, for example, offers this for Chelsea and then a second set in the Premier League this season great opportunities created (12).

Analysts such as Ben Mattinson have picked up on the similarities between the Three Lions man and youngster Mastantuono – who is in the “Olise/Palmer mould” – after detailing that he would be the perfect addition to “balance out” the Real Madrid superstar. attack

But Liverpool could also benefit from this, with their high-level passing game potentially tailor-made for Slot’s system, and it’s a system built to last at Anfield.

Although the young Argentine has yet to reach Palmer’s clinical levels, this is not to his detriment. Looking at the underlying data, however, it does present a rather curious trend that heralds not only the teenager’s ability on the ball, but also his athleticism and defensive work rate.

He is a fierce, combative and determined tackler, and this underpins the attractive fabric of his nail-biting style. The goals and assists will come, of course, but there’s actually a suggestion here that Liverpool could get their mitts on a more varied and well-rounded version of Palmer.

It’s witty and complicated, to be sure, but Mastantuono is also everything you’d want in a ten-plus issue. Slot’s Liverpool set-up demands creativity, but it’s also laborious and requires a lot of execution and tenacity – just look at Dominik Szoboszlai and his importance, even though he’s not the most powerful player on the block.

At its core, however, Mastantuono is one of the most technically gifted gems around talent scout Jacek Kulig describing him as “one of the funniest youngsters to watch in world football”.

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Whether FSG are willing to gamble with £41m is debatable, but there’s no doubt he has an extremely high ceiling, and wouldn’t it be nice to beat the likes of Los Blancos to his signature?

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