If Ali Akman is dreaming of one day leading the line at Anfield under the watchful gaze of Jurgen Klopp, he could do a lot worse than take inspiration from two legendary Liverpool number nines.
“I like Fernando Torres very much,” the highly-rated striker told the March edition of the Turkish Football Federation magazine. “He was very good at Liverpool. His hair would fly. I was very impressed.
“I admired Torres.
“(But) I can’t help but mention Roberto Firmino alongside Torres, (Sergio) Aguero and (Lautaro) Martinez. He plays like the number 10, not like a forward. I like his playing style too. I’m trying to learn something from him.”
He is certainly in the right place to do just that.
The Bursaspor starlet has agreed a deal that will see him join Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of the season and it is fair to say the Bundesliga’s high-flyers have a history when it comes to turning talented youngsters into elite-level attackers.
Sebastien Haller and Luka Jovic departed for West Ham United and Real Madrid respectively, for a combined total of around £100 million, after scoring for fun under Adi Hutter at the Commerzbank Arena in 2018/19.
Ante Rebic is now leading AC Milan’s Scudetto charge while Andre Silva has been linked with both Manchester United and Atletico Madrid en route to netting 19 times in 21 Bundesliga matches.
Akman clearly harbours rather lofty ambitions. And, if he is serious about following in the footsteps of Torres and Firmino, Frankfurt feels like the most stable of stepping stones.
“In the long term, I want to play in the Premier League or La Liga,” Akman, who has scored ten times in 18 league games for Bursaspor this season, told Goal and Spox in February.
“Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona. It isn’t easy to get to those levels, of course, but I have self-confidence.”
And so he should. A natural-born goal-scorer, Akman is lethal inside the penalty area, blessed with superb movement and ice-cool finishing skills.
Although, as Firmino and Torres will attest to, you need more than a powerful shot and a penalty-box presence to make the grade at Anfield.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
