When Liverpool moved for Martin Zubimendi in the summer, it wasn’t completely clear how he would fit into the team — essentially because we didn’t yet know what Arne Slot’s plan was going to be.
Instead, it was left up to Ryan Gravenberch to fill the void, with no alternative sought. The Dutchman, it would be fair to say, has surpassed even his own expectations having been given a run in the team.
Gravenberch has been nothing short of a revelation for Liverpool but that still doesn’t change the fact that adding another quality option in the middle of the pitch would be a good idea. Wataru Endo, given his age, cannot be a long term solution, and his only two starts this season have come in the Carabao Cup.
That is where, to go full circle, Zubimendi comes back into the equation. Earlier in the week, The Independent reported that Arsenal was monitoring the Spaniard’s situation ahead of the winter transfer window. Manchester City, perhaps slightly lazily in that Rodri is out injured, has also been linked with a move.
There us no reason that Liverpool should have moved on from Zubimendi, though, if he has performed a U-turn on his reluctance to leave Spain. Bridges were not burned in the summer and his form since then has been strong enough. The 25-year-old remains hugely talented and highly admired.
“There will always be rumors and now that January is approaching, there will be too, but I don’t waste energy on outside noise,” he said recently. “I’m happy with the way I’m handling it and I’m going to handle it.”
If there is any chance that Zubimendi, identified as the only plausible transfer option worth pursuing in the summer, is available in a few weeks, Liverpool should return for him. But that doesn’t really represent the full story.
“Do it,” Jamie Carragher said on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, this week. “Zubimendi is the player he wanted, they ended up putting [Ryan] Gravenberch there who has been fantastic, but if he is the player you want — go and do it.”
The rationale is that Liverpool is currently five points clear at the summit of the Premier League — and when the chance to win a league title arrives, every avenue should be explored to ensure it is taken. Signing someone in the middle of the season would be boost to morale as much as the roster itself and if it pushes the Reds over the line, it will be more than worthwhile.
The truth is not quite that simple, however. Whether Zubimendi ends up in the Premier League in the middle of the season or not will essentially be down to him, rather than any of the clubs who might be chasing him.
As Liverpool found in the summer, Zubimendi might have a release clause — but it only works if he is prepared to make the move. Arsenal and Manchester City entering the picture doesn’t change that.
Liverpool should try to bring Zubimendi in when the next window opens. Whether it does, though, will be entirely out of its hands.
