Mikkel Damsgaard was brilliant for Denmark in the UEFA Euros 2020. (imago Images)
As per a report by Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t The Mirror), Sampdoria have told Liverpool that they have placed a £34million price tag on star winger Mikkel Damsgaard. The Reds could also face competition from Tottenham Hotspur, who share an interest in the 21-year-old playmaker.
The report states that the Serie A side do not plan to budge from the price tag, especially considering a potential auction between some of Europe’s top clubs for Damsgaard. Nuno Espirito Santo has taken over the helm at Spurs and would want some new faces in his team. But here, we focus on why the Dane could be a wonderful signing for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
The Reds have Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah as their two trusted wingers on the flanks. But the duo should not be overburdened and would be helped by having competition for starts. And if not competition, then the club should have able backups or an understudy to step in for them when needed.
Injury, fitness issues, squad rotation, suspensions and international duties – the list goes on when we try to think of all the reasons that could make a footballer unavailable for selection. Mane and Salah, as good as they are, are not immune to any of the aforementioned pointers. Hence, the Reds should have more quality in that position.
Diogo Jota was signed just last summer in an attempt to do just that. However, the Portuguese international had his own injury issues to deal with and can only cover so many positions at once, considering he has played in every position across the forward line for Liverpool.
With Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi, and Harry Wilson tipped to leave, as per a report by Liverpool Echo last month, the Reds could really do with signing a forward. The trio has anyway found it hard to get minutes under Klopp recently and it is unlikely that they would be made regular starters even if they stay.
This is where Mikkel Damsgaard would be useful. The amazing thing about the youngster is his versatility. He can play anywhere in the forward line as well as in midfield, especially as a No.10. With Georginio Wijnaldum now at PSG after leaving the Reds on a free transfer, this is another hole that Damsgaard could fill.
Signing the Dane would be akin to signing multiple players in different positions on the pitch. He can be a good backup to the club’s primary wingers, can step in for Roberto Firmino as a No.9 if needed, and can be a No.10 in Klopp’s formation if the German wants to try out the 4-2-3-1 formation again.
On top of that, being just 21 years old, he can be the long-term successor to either Mane, Salah, Wijnaldum, or even Firmino due to his ability to play in those positions. He is at a great age to be taken under the wings of Jurgen Klopp.
