Liverpool 'eye move' for Leeds United prodigy as Mark Lawrenson identifies the “perfect player” for the Reds

A much-changed Liverpool team fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat away at French outfit Toulouse with VAR once again making the spotlight as Jarell Quansah was controversially denied his first career goal. The performance from Liverpool will come as a concern to Jurgen Klopp and his ambitions of guiding the Reds to success in Europe.

It also reflected Liverpool’s need for further squad depth in the defensive midfield area as Klopp’s team struggled to keep Toulouse’s attack at bay, despite having 72 percent of possession. The Reds are widely reported to be interested in a midfielder in the January transfer window with Fluminense star Andre dominating the headlines. But another name that has come to the forefront in recent months is defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City.

The England international has struggled with first team football in the last 16 months and reports from TalkSport claim he is high on Liverpool’s radar. Phillips’ arrival could help Liverpool fill the void of both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, whilst in turn allowing the likes of Alexis Mac Allister to play in a more natural advanced role, according to Reds legend Mark Lawrenson.

Speaking to Paddy Power, Lawrenson explained: “If Liverpool are going to sign a six to free up Alexis MacAllister, I would like to have Kalvin Phillips come in. He’s hardly played any football over two seasons, but he would be perfect for Liverpool, absolutely perfect. Whether Manchester City would sell him, I don’t know. They probably would sell him but not to Liverpool.  

“The thing about MacAllister is that he’s come in to Liverpool and been asked to play a different role and he’s just got on with it. He’s been steady and one of the problems has been that Ryan Gravenberch has come in and looked a real player. He pushes on from midfield and we know about Dominik Szoboszlai because he’s been outstanding.  

“MacAllister has been a bit unlucky because he’s got to be the holding player and generally he’s done okay. In all honesty, it tells us something about his character because he hasn’t gone to the manager and said, ‘I don’t really want to play there’ but he hasn’t, he’s just got on with it.” 

Liverpool eye move for Leeds prodigy

Liverpool are linked with a former Leeds hero, but they also have their eyes on one of the club’s brightest young talents in Archie Gray, although they face competition from rivals Everton, according to the Daily Mail.

The 17-year-old has emerged as one of the stars of the Championship this season, playing in all but one of Leeds' games since making his professional debut on the opening day of the campaign. The outlet adds that Gray has many attributes that are comparable to those of Trent Alexander-Arnold as he can play in multiple positions such as midfield and right back. The midfielder is believed to be valued at around £40-£50m and his existing deal at Elland Road runs until the summer of 2025.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke has spoken highly of Gray’s influence describing him as a player who adds “great value” in multiple areas. 

He said: “First of all, we are not here just to make sure we develop Archie in a perfect position. Although we love Archie and want to develop him and I have a reputation perhaps to bring some young players through and bring them on to another level, our main target is that we as Leeds United want to be successful.

"By doing this, if we can then develop and help our players, not just the young players in our squad all of them, that's also quite beneficial. I spoke before the last game about this topic."