Milos Kerkez to Liverpool? Bournemouth left-back may very well be an ideal substitute for Andy Robertson | Soccer Information

Liverpool moved swiftly to switch Trent Alexander-Arnold, saying the signing of Jeremie Frimpong on the identical day his departure to Actual Madrid was confirmed. They’re enacting their left-back succession plan with related effectivity.

There may be in fact an enormous distinction in that, as issues stand, Milos Kerkez shall be arriving from Bournemouth to compete with Andy Robertson moderately than exchange him. However the want for contemporary vitality at left-back is obvious as he enters the ultimate 12 months of his contract.

At 31, Robertson has proven indicators of slowing down following eight years of sensible service. His marauding runs up the left flank turned much less frequent final season as he adopted a extra conservative function. Monitoring knowledge reveals declining numbers for sprints and high pace.

He may not be distinctive in the identical approach as Alexander-Arnold, whose imaginative and prescient and passing means are extra typical of an elite central midfielder than a full-back. However changing the qualities Robertson gave Liverpool at his greatest remains to be an enormous activity.

Along with his tireless stamina and defensive nous, there was a stage of creativity not far off that of his extra celebrated team-mate. Robertson is barely 5 locations behind Alexander-Arnold for possibilities created by Premier League gamers since his arrival at Liverpool.

He’s solely eight assists in need of Alexander-Arnold’s complete of 64 in the identical timeframe, placing him fifth in an inventory led by Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah as one among solely two defenders within the high 25.

His numbers most likely advantage higher recognition however it’s straightforward to see why Liverpool have settled on Kerkez, contemporary from a superb season with Bournemouth, as his long-term substitute.

The Hungary worldwide, signed from Dutch aspect AZ Alkmaar in 2023, is a decade youthful than Robertson at 21, together with his greatest years forward of him. Andoni Iraola provided an perception into the strides he has already taken in dialog with Sky Sports activities final month.

“I feel Milos has made an enormous step up from final season,” stated the Bournemouth head coach. “He got here right here with all his vitality, with all his starvation to indicate his stage.

“However, particularly mentally, he’s now way more targeted for the total 95 or 100 minutes. He’s extra dependable.”

Kerkez’s reliability will be seen in the truth that he was one among solely six outfield gamers to start out each Premier League sport final season, racking up extra minutes than anybody else at Bournemouth and taking part in an enormous function in one of the best top-flight season within the membership’s historical past.

“He nonetheless has the quantity offensively,” continued Iraola. “He arrives in attacking areas so much. However I feel he has improved within the final third. If you happen to examine his numbers from final season to this one, that’s clear. He has completed rather well to make these steps at such a younger age.”

Kerkez contributed 5 assists and two targets within the Premier League final season, up from a solitary help in his first marketing campaign. His numbers for touches, passes and crosses rose considerably too as he embraced the problem of taking up higher attacking duty.

Kerkez turned Bournemouth’s major offensive outlet, with solely Nottingham Forest directing the next proportion of assaults down their left flank amongst Premier League sides.

All of which affords encouragement to Liverpool, who can even have famous the stylistic similarities between Kerkez and the person he would possibly quickly be tasked with changing, particularly given it was their sporting director, Richard Hughes, who signed him for Bournemouth.

Kerkez is an distinctive athlete with a stage of vitality just like that of Robertson in his prime. Monitoring knowledge reveals he ranked among the many Premier League’s high 5 gamers for each sprints and distance lined final time period, displaying spectacular robustness.

Simply as vital, although, is the style through which his vitality is expended.

Kerkez, like Robertson, excels at attending to the byline and creating possibilities by means of cut-backs and crosses, as proven most memorably together with his assists for David Brooks and Antoine Semenyo in opposition to Everton and Manchester Metropolis respectively final season.

In line with GeniusIQ monitoring knowledge, Kerkez made extra overlapping runs than every other Premier League participant, with 213.

Curiously, he provided an identical stage of assist on the within of his winger as the skin. Actually, in addition to rating high within the division for overlapping runs, Kerkez was first by way of underlaps, making almost 50 per cent extra of them than every other participant at 137.

The number of Kerkez’s motion makes him tough to cease and it helps that, like Robertson, he’s able to delivering diagonally from deeper areas in addition to from the byline, as he did with the gorgeous cross for Marcus Tavernier’s opening purpose in Bournemouth’s 2-2 draw with Spurs in March.

That help got here after driving run up the left flank following an interception deep in Bournemouth’s half, highlighting the ball-carrying means which contains one other of his largest strengths.

In line with Opta, solely 12 Premier League gamers progressed the ball additional by means of carries than Kerkez final season. It’s price noting that his common carry progress of 87.4m per 90 minutes was considerably greater than Robertson’s at 76.1m per 90 minutes.

That means to journey with the ball shortly and straight turned a serious weapon for a Bournemouth aspect who carry an enormous risk in transition. It may very well be much more helpful to Liverpool given the emphasis positioned on counter-attacks by Arne Slot, whose workforce ranked high for each pictures and targets from quick breaks final time period.

It’s simply one other approach through which he might assist them. In fact, the duty of changing Robertson, and all he has provided Liverpool through the years, can be a frightening one for any participant. However there cannot be many better-equipped for the job than Milos Kerkez.