Why Jean Michael Seri to Liverpool makes no sense

It would be an understatement to say that Liverpool have been left frustrated in the current transfer market. After the early arrival of Mohamed Salah from AS Roma, the side turned their attention towards acquiring the services of Virgil van Dijk and Naby Keita but their efforts have yielded no results with less than 2 weeks left for the transfer window to close.

Add to that the precarious situation the Merseyside club finds itself in with star performer Philippe Coutinho handing in a transfer request and you could begin to feel sorry for Jurgen Klopp.

In what is believed to be a last ditch effort by the Reds to bolster the talent available at their disposal, they have now entered the race to sign Nice’s Ivory Coast international Jean Michael Seri. But is Seri the man to solve Liverpool’s midfield woes or are the Merseyside club yet again venturing on an ill-advised path?

Liverpool’s defensive woes stem from the presence of a conciliatory midfield

The trio of Wijnaldum, Henderson and Can have been poor in the side's opening couple of games

Liverpool have been involved in only 2 games thus far in the season but their fans are already up in arms against the club’s management, citing their inability to close the deal for van Djik as the reason that could prove to be their downfall. It’s true that Liverpool have been a frail unit at the defensive end of the pitch but what fans often fail to notice is that the problem cannot be solved with the arrival of a star defender.

The lack of a midfielder who can dominate proceedings hurt the side in their games against Watford and Hoffenheim as the trio of Georginio Wijanldum, Jordan Henderson and Emre Can have failed to work in unison to keep the opposition at bay. The trio have given away the ball cheaply, their positional sense has been horrendous at times and their propensity to give away needless fouls and corners has left the side’s defence exposed through the last 2 games.

Liverpool have found themselves in the aforementioned position on numerous occasions over the course of the last few seasons and many fans find it appalling that the club has not sorted out the issue with their midfield even after so many years. What the side desperately needs is a player in the mould of Naby Keita who does the dirty work in the middle of the park without drawing too much attention while the rest of the midfield plays a supporting role. To be honest, even Gary Medel could have proved to be hugely beneficial to Klopp’s side but the Reds refused to look at the Chilean.

As a Liverpool fan, it pains me to say that the Reds are a nice side to line-up against. There are no rogues in this Liverpool side that can force the game in the favour of their side and that situation would not change with the arrival of Seri.

Is he a leader that the Reds desperately need?

Jurgen, Where are your leaders?

Where are the leaders at Liverpool? The side that had the likes of Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Jamie Carraher and Pepe Reina playing together not many seasons ago is now bereft of any real leaders. While Jordan Henderson is also the captain of England, we believe he has always lacked the bite (save for the altercation with Diego Costa) and given that he is amongst the players who have come under criticism for their performances in the season thus far, Hendo is definitely not leading by example.

With the Englishman misfiring, who is the leader of the side? Is it the erratic duo of Simon Mignolet and Dejan Lovren or the up and coming German Emre Can? The fact is that Liverpool lack a general and the arrival of Keita, who has been a leader at Leipzig, could have definitely helped matters.

Seri, the man under the scanner, on the other hand, has come under criticism for his performances when his side is being dominated by the opposition. He hasn't exactly dominated the midfield and turn it around in his side’s favour during his time at the Allianz Riviera and is often identified as a player who is similar to the nice guys Liverpool already have in abundance.

Seri is not an ideal alternative to Keita

Seri would prove to be a luxury signing considering Liverpool's central midfield issues

When Liverpool set out to lure Keita away from RB Leipzig, they were on the right track. The side has lacked a box to box midfielder of real calibre since Steven Gerrard was deployed as a deep lying playmaker by Brendan Rodgers and the lack of an industrious destroyer who could also help break the opposition with his vision could have been solved with the signing of Keita.

The pivotal difference between Keita and Seri lies in the fact that they have been effective in different roles and while a destroyer is what Liverpool desperately need, an industrious play maker could be termed as a luxury. While the likes of Timo Werner grabbed the headlines last season with their attacking performances, it was Keita who laid the foundation for the club’s improbable success in the Bundesliga.

The Guinean put in a series of no-nonsense performances through the last season and was the general of the Leipzig midfield, not only dominating proceedings in the centre of the park but also making sure that the opposition was offered no respite.

Seri, on the other hand, was deployed in a more advanced role and while his performances drew a lot of attention from several clubs including Barcelona, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, we believe he is not the man Liverpool need. Yes, he was amongst the most enterprising attackers in the Ligue 1 last season with 9 assists and 6 goals but don’t Liverpool already have a host of talented attacking personnel even without Coutinho?

While he has been touted as an able alternative to Keita, Seri would prove to be an ideal replacement for Philippe Coutinho, should he leave. However, even the arrival of Seri would not solve Liverpool’s midfield troubles as he is not the player and leader that they need.