The one Everton player who would instantly improve Liverpool right now

In recent years, Liverpool haven’t just been a dominate force in Liverpool but also in England and Europe too, but this season has been a far cry from the relentless ‘menality monsters’ of the last few years.

Midfield has been a real issue. It’s a problem that has slowly developed over recent years but this term it’s at the forefront of Liverpool’s struggles. Considering the Merseyside derby is on Monday, we’ve decided to look which Everton player could improve Liverpool right now - and there’s only one answer.

Enter Amadou Onana. The Everton midfielder signed from Lille in the summer after being tracked by Arsenal, West Ham and even Liverpool at one point, and the Belgian has been one of the few bright sparks in a dismal season so far. Considering the issues in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield, Onana would certainly be a player who could improve a shaky and often fatigued Liverpool midfield.

Let’s explore how Onana, in a hypothetical world, would help improve Liverpool’s current midfield.

Why would he work?

At 21 years old, Onana boasts a strong engine and determination that has been present all through this season, even in the dark days under Frank Lampard. His six-foot-three lean build helps him to battle hard in midfield and he’s been tasked with playing in a double pivot for most of the season, where he’s had to do his fair share of defensive work.

Outside of that, he’s shown he can carry the ball, progress the play and cover a lot of ground - those are the type of traits that would fit perfectly for one of the two positions ahead of the defensive midfielder in Klopp’s 4-3-3.

Averaging 3.2 tackles, 1.97 aerials won, 1.41 interceptions and 1.81 touches in the opposition area paints the picture of a midfielder who’s all-action, exciting and tireless and that’s exactly the type of player Liverpool are missing.

Let’s not forget, the Reds had targeted Moises Caicedo as a potential midfield recruit - the Brighton midfielder bares some resemblence to Onana, as both are tough-tackling, high-octane players who can affect the game at both ends of the pitch.

On top of that, he’s displayed a strong character in what has been a tough atmosphere in which to begin your Premier League career. He was seen shouting ‘I’m that guy!” after opening the scoring against Southampton last month and he reiterated on social media that he’s fully committed to keeping Everton in the league amid interest from Chelsea in the January window - strength of character is certainly something that goes hand-in-hand with a Klopp midfield.

Comparison to other midfielders at Liverpool

Comparing him to the three players who have played regularly in the two positions ahead of Fabinho and Stefan Bajcetic in Harvey Elliott, Jordan Henderson and Thiago, we can see where he has the edge on a midfield contingent that are deemed to have been in poor form this season.

The 21-year-old ranks higher than all three for tackles won, aerials won, clearances and non-penalty xG, however, Onana does lack compared to all three on the ball. Of course, Thiago is a technical wizard that is at the very top of the food chain for those sort of stats, whereas Elliott is naturally an attacking midfielder which means he too has the edge there naturally.

He may be closest to Henderson in that regard, but the England international boasts elite numbers for progressive passes and passes attempted as well as strong numbers for carries and progressive passes received. It must be said that Liverpool are a much stronger team and are on the ball far more often than Everton, meaning they simply have more opportunities to attack.

Overall, Onana is a young, raw talent who possess a strong physical profile and defensive accumen, but he still has plenty to improve on in terms of his techical play. Although, his MOTM performance against league leaders Arsenal last week showed he can perform at that level.

Consistency will come in time but it may be tough in a team that is likely to hold less possession per game. But there’s no doubt his energy, workrate and willingness to drive a team forward would certainly benefit Liverpool right now.