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3 defensive midfielders Liverpool NEED to target
Analysis
Liverpool have lacked a quality holding defensive midfielder ever since Jordan Henderson departed in the summer of 2023.
Arne Slot led the club to Premier League glory in his first season at the helm in 2024/25 after converting Ryan Gravenberch into a No. 6, but this season, opposing clubs are finding the reigning champions easy to break down.
Liverpool keep the highest share of possession in the league at 61.8 percent, so it is easy to see why they rank second-to-last in interceptions per match (6.5) and last in tackles per match (12.6).
But the team is too easy to break down for a club with title-winning aspirations.
Here are three no-nonsense, controlling defensive midfielders who will shield the back line and win the ball, which will make the rest of the team’s jobs easier.
Lewis Cook
If Liverpool can look past his two straight red cards this season — and that is a big ‘if’ — then Lewis Cook might be the perfect player to protect the Reds’ centre-backs.
Current ETV
Lewis Cook
M, DM (C), D (R)
B'mouth
Lewis Cook
M, DM (C), D (R)
B'mouth
ETV Range
€15.8M - €19.3M
Cook leads the Premier League with 2.6 interceptions per 90 minutes, and he makes a respectable 2.8 tackles per match, which puts him tied for 31st.
Manager Andoni Iraola has his team employ a chaotic style of play with lots of running and verticality. That style would not be possible without a destroyer like Cook in the center of the park.
Plus, 28-year-old Cook’s steady presence has likely played a major role in Bournemouth continuing to stay far from the relegation zone despite losing both starting centre-backs, Dean Huijsen and Ilya Zabarnyi, over the summer.
Benat Turrientes
If Liverpool would rather sign a younger player, then 23-year-old Benat Turrientes of Real Sociedad could be the answer.
The Spaniard has improved this season, winning 60.6 percent of his duels (8.16 per 90 minutes) along with 3.99 tackles and 5.7 recoveries per match. He only averages 0.38 interceptions per 90 minutes, but gaining experience will help him read the game better.
Current ETV
Beñat Turrientes
M, DM (C)
R. Sociedad
Beñat Turrientes
M, DM (C)
R. Sociedad
ETV Range
€10.2M - €12.5M
Those numbers do not come from a large sample size, as he only has 474 minutes under his belt in La Liga this season.
Still, four of his seven league starts were in his club’s last four matches, proving that he has earned the trust of manager Pellegrino Materazzo.
Turrientes is certainly a player to watch in the second half of the season ahead of a possible summer move.
Aurelien Tchouameni
If Cook was the realistic option and Turrientes is the younger option, then Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni would be the dream signing.
Tchouameni is one of the best holding midfielders in the world, and with him turning 26 in two days, he’ll represent a long-term solution for the club.
The Frenchman wins 68.3 percent of his ground duels and 76.3 percent of his aerial duels, and he also wins 2.20 tackles with 1.34 interceptions per 90 minutes.
He would not come cheap, of course, and that is only if his club would allow him to leave. But Liverpool have already made a bid according to reports.
After signing Wataru Endo as a stopgap signing post-Henderson, Liverpool need to find a long-term solution at the position.
Just like signing strikers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike in the same window made a statement about Liverpool’s commitment to scoring goals, the club needs to make a signing that proves its dedication to preventing them.
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