Pundit Garth Crooks has raved about Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister whilst suggesting that he is better than Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo.
Liverpool simply had to revamp their midfield over the summer but even some supporters were probably surprised by the number of changes.
James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all moved on at the end of their contracts whilst Jordan Henderson and Fabinho were sold.
Five left but four came in with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch arriving at Anfield.
The changes have done Liverpool the world of good and they now sit top of the Premier League table, harbouring genuine dreams of winning the title this season.
Garth Crooks hails Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister
All four have chipped in well this season but Mac Allister is coming in for huge praise right now.
The Argentinian was seen as a creative, attack-minded midfielder at Brighton and Hove Albion but has often played in a holding role for Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp suggested that Mac Allister was ‘absolutely exceptional’ against Bournemouth on Sunday, helping Liverpool to a 4-0 win.
Liverpool paid £35million to sign Mac Allister over the summer and that deal now looks like an absolute bargain.
BBC pundit Garth Crooks has now included Mac Allister in his Team of the Week, suggesting that Mac Allister was ‘absolutely superb’ against Bournemouth.
Crooks praised Mac Allister’s ‘exquisite’ passing and called him a ‘different animal’ to fellow Liverpool midfielder Thiago in a holding role.
Crooks also thinks that Liverpool trying to sign Moises Caicedo now looks ‘baffling’ because Mac Allister is so much better value for money than the Chelsea ace.
“Only one team who deserved to win Sunday’s match at Bournemouth, and that was Liverpool,” said Crooks. “They dominated from start to finish. Mac Allister was absolutely superb in midfield. He never complicated matters, and played the most exquisite passes at the right time.”
“Since the departures of Georginio Wijnaldum, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, Liverpool have struggled to fill the defensive midfield role. I never thought Thiago worked there, as even when he played well, he slowed the tempo of the team to almost walking pace. Mac Allister is a different animal entirely. He moves the ball on, retaining the pace of Liverpool’s play, and the quality of his passing is excellent.”
“He’s an exceptional player bought at an exceptional price. Why Liverpool were prepared to pay around £111m for Moises Caicedo when Mac Alister only cost half that figure is baffling. In terms of value for money, there is no comparison between the two players,” he added.
Mac Allister and Caicedo were superb together at Brighton and we can only imagine that they would have rekindled that connection to great effect at Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp seemingly wanted to pair them together again and was prepared to strike a big deal before Chelsea swooped in.
The money for Caicedo was staggering and Liverpool will now feel comfortable with Mac Allister and the bargain Endo for a fraction of the Caicedo fee.
The Ecuadorian hasn’t yet hit top form with Chelsea either, so Liverpool will be delighted with how the situation has played out.
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