When Richard Hughes flew back from San Sebastian after what were positive conversations with Martin Zubimendi and representative Inaki Ibanez, it will have felt like a coup.
Zubimendi had already turned down Arsenal and Bayern Munich in favour of staying with Real Sociedad, but the chance to join Liverpool was another matter.
Except an emotional pitch from the club he has called home since the age of 12 prompted a U-turn from the 25-year-old midfielder and, now informing Hughes he did not intend to move, left Liverpool at an impasse.
It has been widely reported that Zubimendi was the Reds’ priority target, and more frustratingly for supporters also their sole target for the role this summer.
Journalists on Merseyside and beyond have claimed that it is now unlikely that the club will sign another No. 6 before the transfer window closes on August 30.
Liverpool’s new midfield plan
Instead, Ryan Gravenberch is poised to head into the campaign as first choice in the role, with Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai held up as alternatives along with the only specialist in the squad, Wataru Endo.
Endo is, of course, not Arne Slot‘s favoured option, with it having been expected that the 31-year-old would depart had Zubimendi arrived.
There were positive signs with Gravenberch as the deepest of the three midfielders in the new head coach’s fluid 4-2-3-1 during pre-season, with his close control and composure on the ball making him the go-to candidate in a more patient system.
A player of vast potential who will have been on Slot’s radar since before his breakthrough in Ajax’s first team in 2018, the hope is that the Dutchman can flourish in his new position.
But supporters can be forgiven for a familiar feeling around this development, with Liverpool again forced to make do after a high-profile failure in the No. 6 market.
Missed opportunities
Restored to Fenway Sports Group’s payroll this summer following the departure of Jurgen Klopp, Michael Edwards and Julian Ward will have spotted the markers of Fabinho‘s decline before most.
The Brazilian was among a number of players in their late 20s to be handed new long-term contracts in the summer of 2021, but members of the club’s recruitment staff had reservations over that slew of deals.
Jordan Henderson was handed a four-year contract, running beyond his 35th birthday, while Fabinho was given a five-year deal to take him to 33.
Sky Sports‘ Melissa Reddy later reported that there were concerns that “the squad was veering away from the ‘right football age’.”
Fabinho produced one of his best seasons in a Liverpool shirt in 2021/22, but the following campaign saw him drop off considerably, with him and Henderson then moving to Saudi Arabia last summer.
Liverpool had attempted to correct the issue with the pursuit of Aurelien Tchouameni in 2022, the Frenchman identified as a rare opportunity in a market of few elite-potential No. 6s.
That move failed, with Tchouameni joining Real Madrid, while the following summer – with Jorg Schmadtke in for the short-term to replace Ward as sporting director – saw two messy rejections from Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
It is a bizarre situation, with Liverpool repeatedly unable to land their top targets for the most pressing issue in their squad.
After a rerun this summer with Zubimendi, the club appear eager to avoid any short-term fixes in the market that could lead them into the position they find themselves with Endo a year on from his £16 million switch from Stuttgart.
However, while it has been maintained that the Spain international was the only viable candidate that would improve Slot’s starting lineup, there are genuine questions over whether Liverpool can afford to continue their waiting game.
Are there not other No. 6s?
A convincing case can be made for this all-or-nothing approach in the transformative signings of Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, but there are many others that prove the virtue in finding alternatives.
Before Mohamed Salah, there was Julian Brandt; before Sadio Mane, there was Mario Gotze; before Gini Wijnaldum, there was Piotr Zielinski; and before Dominik Szoboszlai, there was Mason Mount.
It is fair to say that the market for elite-level No. 6s is sparse, but the club’s data team will no doubt be aware of the likes of Ederson at Atalanta, Morten Hjulmand at Sporting CP and Angelo Stiller at Stuttgart.
Look even closer and the names Bruno Guimaraes and Adam Wharton would likely appear on the list of defensive midfielders who could not only elevate Slot’s squad but also suit his system – with both almost certainly available for the right price.
If Liverpool’s new-look hierarchy are resolved that it is Zubimendi or no one this summer, they can at least be acknowledged for sticking to their beliefs.
But after three consecutive summers of failing to address the biggest issue in the squad, it is only right to ask: at what cost?
Klopp’s Liverpool were at their most suffocatingly successful with a world-class No. 6 in the side in Fabinho, and it is no coincidence that they have failed to go the distance upon his decline and later departure.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have developed into a genuine title challenger after bringing in both Declan Rice and Jorginho and Man City – verdict on their 115 charges pending – remain an all-powerful force with Rodri at the base of their midfield.
Things could still change, particularly as it is well known that Liverpool prefer to operate in the shadows, only feeding the media when it suits them.
But if they fail to land Zubimendi and then opt out of signing another No. 6 entirely, they risk standing still while their rivals move forward without them, leaving Slot without the tools he arguably requires to kill them with passes.
