Incredible Liverpool stat reveals success behind Jurgen Klopp & Jorg Schmadtke’s summer midfield rebuild

Liverpool’s summer transfer business is looking extremely successful after an impressive start to the new season.

Months of speculation came to a halt on September 1, as Ryan Gravenberch was the final name to come through the door after four signings taking their summer spending to over £150m.

After the disappointment of missing out on Jude Bellingham, the appointment of sporting director Jorg Schmadtke and the sale of previously key figures such as Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, fans were apprenhensive to say the least about their summer dealings.

But after triumphs in the Carabao Cup, Europa League and five wins in six league games, they can reflect on a summer midfield rebuild masterminded by Jurgen Klopp and Schmadtke that has ticked all of the boxes so far.

Hitting the ground running

It was incredibly important that both Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, their two main midfield acquisitions, were signed before their pre-season started as it allowed for both players to become settled and embedded within the squad and both started in the first game of the season away at Chelsea.

It’s contributed to their strong start and while Gravenberch and Wataru Endo arrived later in the window, both of them have also began to settle after their recent victories. But it’s clear that Szoboszlai and Mac Allister have been two of their best performers so far - with fans championing the Hungarian international after a sensational strike against Leicester City.

Following Liverpool’s 3-1 win over The Foxes in the EFL Cup, an incredible statistic emerged. The midfield quartet have managed the same amount of goal contributions (six) as Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain managed across the entirety of last season.

That has resulted in 15 goals in all competitions at an average of 2.50 goals per game, just one shy of Manchester City.

Strength (and quality) in depth

A big criticism of Liverpool in recent seasons where they fell short to Manchester City and other sides was their lack of quality in depth that seemingly held them back from achieving more.

Any injuries to key players resulted in the team becoming weaker as whole, but that doesn’t seem to be the case this season.

Outside of their signings, they still have youngsters Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliot and Stefan Bajcetic, as well as Thiago, who are all capable of bringing something different to the side.

It’s hard to say what Liverpool’s best midfield three is, as Gravenberch and Endo are still a few weeks behind the likes of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, but Curtis Jones’ significant improvements surely has to place him alongside the two summer signings.

Exciting times lay ahead for Liverpool, especially given most of their midfielders are 24 years of age or under, meaning the next three to five years looks incredibly exciting and the rebuild has ushered out injury-prone, inconsistent figures for younger, sharper and fitter individuals that suit Klopp’s style of play.

With Liverpool expected to challenge on all fronts this season, a deep squad was essential and, after Schmadtke’s dealings, they look to have refreshed their squad with the right amount of talent and experience, as well as an abundance of quality that has got fans dreaming once again.