Liverpool linked with £51m January move for midfielder but current star is already saving them millions

Liverpool’s summer pursuit of Martin Zubimendi could stretch into the winter but have they already solved their midfield dilemma three games in?

A move for the £51m-rated Spaniard looked close to being completed until the Real Sociedad favourite chose to remain at the club he’s been at since the age of 12. A blow for Arne Slot at the time, he has since looked to Gravenberch to fill that void - and he’s been one of the main positives from the brilliant early season showings.

Zubimendi was hailed as a technical, deep-lying midfielder who has all the qualities that are admired by Liverpool and Slot for their system. Someone capable of receiving the ball from the defence, calm on the ball and able to help build attacks from deep. The early signs have been promising from the Dutchman but Fabrizio Romano’s latest comments suggest he may just be a placeholder in that role.

Speaking on his Debrief podcast, he said: “There are many factors before deciding if Liverpool will try again in January or not, but I can confirm that the appreciation is still there. They still believe that Zubimendi could be a perfect player for the tactical idea they have at the club, so let’s see.”

But how do the two compare? More specifically, how does the Gravenberch of this season compare with Zubimendi so far? In terms of their heatmaps, the Liverpool star features slightly further forward due to their domination of games while the Sociedad midfielder has been more active deeper.

One thing to note before considering the main figures is that Gravenberch has been in far better form overall and we’ll need a larger sample size to see the differences in the role. This is made clear by the fact he has a higher pass success rate, far higher expected assist (0.51), more touches, more interceptions, tackles, ball recoveries, more duels won and far more ground duels won in total - with 5.0 per game compared to 1.8.

It has been a far superior start to the season for Gravenberch and while he has been stronger across the board, some of those figures in terms of success rate are similar or in Zubimendi’s favour which suggests if he had more involvement he could have the same impact. However, it’s important to remember the stature of both sides and the differing quality that both players are surrounded by.

Sociedad have managed a low average expected goals of 0.71 per game compared to Liverpool’s all-conquering 2.35 average per game across their three wins so far. Place Zubimendi in this side and it is likely he would be able to match if not better Gravenberch’s passing figures given the quality he possesses and the figures from himself and his side’s performances so far.

As mentioned, it has only been a few games and there is a clear differential in quality between both sides which means it is easier for Gravenberch to thrive. He has proven to be a great fit for the current role but there is a sense that Zubimendi is the more natural piece of puzzle should Liverpool re-register their interest in the coming months.