Liverpool should think twice about signing Timo Werner

FOR years, Wesley Sneijder was linked so frequently with a move to Manchester United it became cliche. It was the same with conjecture linking Karim Benzema with Arsenal for a while. Indeed, whenever the transfer window opens there is invariably a staple of familiar names linked with the same old clubs. Timo Werner is becoming one such figure.

Liverpool are reportedly interested in the German striker and have been for a while. It’s well over a year since the Anfield club were first claimed to be monitoring Werner, with Jurgen Klopp supposedly keen on adding to his attacking options. A contract standoff between Werner and RB Leipzig has only added more weight to those already well established links with the Reds.

But where exactly would Werner fit in at Anfield? After all, Liverpool already boast the most exhilarating frontline in the English game. Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah all offer something different, something that makes Klopp’s trademark style of play possible. Each of the three is indispensable.

Timo Werner under the GAT microscope

What makes the @RBLeipzig_EN forward so effective? pic.twitter.com/szmqNdODB9

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) January 27, 2019

And so it’s likely that Werner, should he make the move to Liverpool, would be an option to rotate in and out of the team. While the Reds might sit atop the Premier League table, they trail behind Manchester City and maybe even Manchester United when it comes to squad depth. This is something they will surely look to address.

The addition of Werner would be a risk, though. Klopp has forged his Liverpool team as a reflection of his own coaching identity over the past few years, with every player on the pitch serving a purpose in the manifestation of that overarching ideology. Adding another player into the carefully crafted equation could upset things, especially when that player is a centre forward.

It could be reminiscent of when Pep Guardiola sought to broaden his options at the peak of his great Barcelona team’s powers. The Catalan club made Zlatan Ibrahimovic the most expensive player in their history in the hope that he would give them some attacking diversity. Instead, he diluted Guardiola’s famed philosophy, disrupting Barca’s attack.

Of course, Ibrahimovic wasn’t a bad player. That was never the issue. It was just that his identity as a striker didn’t align with that of Barcelona’s as a team, and Liverpool could feasibly suffer a similar sort of problem with Werner. By seeking diversity, Klopp risks diminishing what makes his side so special in the first place.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has no idea why Pep Guardiola didn't like him at Barcelona. pic.twitter.com/Rsu7fpFfe2

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) August 25, 2018

Taking a wider look at things, does Klopp really need someone like Werner to provide depth? Salah is capable of playing through the middle, as he has done from time to time this season, meaning there is potential for chopping and changing. With Salah leading the line, for instance, Shaqiri can fill in on the right.

It’s possible that Klopp could shift to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Werner leading the line just in front of Firmino and flanked by Mane and Salah, but that would place some responsibilities on Firmino that he is not currently burdened with. The Brazilian is key to the way Liverpool open up space in the final third and there’s no guarantee Werner would do that in the same manner.

Werner is a very different forward to Firmino. The German international has the pace to play in a Klopp team, but his work rate isn’t quite up to standard. For Liverpool, a team who press hard and fast from the front, that is significant. Werner would give the Reds a more orthodox targetman to hit, but the rest of the team wouldn’t be accustomed to playing in such a way. Werner could be a misfit.

Recent reports from Germany claim that RB Leipzig could be forced to sell their top scorer for around £40 million, and at that price Liverpool may well be tempted. In this market, that would be something of a bargain for a player of Werner’s quality. But for Liverpool, quality shouldn’t be what they look for in a new striker. They need suitability.