"He's going to be their talisman" - Frank McAvennie urges Jurgen Klopp to build his team around Liverpool midfielder

Former West Ham United striker turned television pundit Frank McAvennie recently urged Liverpool to build their team around Thiago Alcantara.

The Reds have struggled in the middle of the park this season and are rumored to be looking to bolster their options in the department.

McAvennie has claimed that Thiago Alcantara will be Liverpool's key man in midfield next season with the Reds set to miss out on Jude Bellingham. The former Aston Villa also claimed that Harvey Elliott has plenty of quality but is not ready to be the star man yet.

Frank McAvennie told Football Insider:

"He [Thiago] is going to be the talisman. They have got to build their team around him next year because they have not got Bellingham. Jordan Henderson is going to be like [James] Milner now I would think.

"They need to get young players in that midfield. [Harvey] Elliott is not ready for the Premier League yet, he will be a great player but Liverpool need an established player right now."

McAvennie also claimed that Jurgen Klopp will be looking forward to the Spain international pulling the strings from midfield. He added:

"Thiago is that guy but they have got to get players around about him. Get him fit to start pre-season and get him on the park because he is the guy that can control games. He is the one guy I would build my team around, as a centre-forward I would love to have him in the midfield. I think he is a wonderful player."

Thiago has been pretty decent for Liverpool since joining the Reds from Bayern Munich in a deal worth £20 million in 2020.

However, the 32-year-old has struggled to maintain his fitness levels and has missed 60 games with injuries during his time at Anfield.

The creative midfielder has featured just 28 times for the Reds this season and has just one assist to his name.

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Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool will save £100m if 24-year-old star plays in midfield

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has claimed that Jurgen Klopp should keep playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield.

The England international has been impressive for the Reds in recent weeks since being handed an inverted full-back role, offering him the freedom to roam across the pitch.

Carragher has been hugely impressed with how the 24-year-old performed in his new role and has urged Klopp to use him in midfield permanently.

The former England defender also claimed that Alexander-Arnold can save the Merseyside club a lot of money if he is regularly used in midfield. Carragher said, as quoted by Goal:

"If Trent (Alexander-Arnold) plays midfield, he probably saves Liverpool £100 million. One thing we haven't seen a lot from Trent Alexander-Arnold during his career is goals from outside the box. But if he keeps playing in midfield, he will get 5-10 goals a season. We've seen it from set pieces."

Alexander-Arnold has scored three goals and provided nine assists in 44 games across competitions this season. He has contributed with six assists in the last seven Premier League games itself.