This Is Why Jurgen Klopp NEEDS To Sign Sofyan Amrabat
Like any cunning football fan, I was dumped on the greatest analytical tool known to us, the living room sofa. The pillows were flat and covered in dog hair, but it would do. Having gawped at the TV for every waking moment that I wasn’t working, my eyes held the worn appearance of tea bags. Morocco had just beaten Portugal 1-0 and sent Cristiano Ronaldo on his merry way with nothing but his luggage and the prospect of unemployment. As I wrestled with another Quality Street wrapper, a startling revelation came over my zombie-like countenance: Sofyan Amrabat is the solution to all of Liverpool’s midfield problems… Ok, so I know what you’re all thinking, ‘here’s another football ‘expert’ with a reactionary ‘hot take’ on whom to sign after the world cup’ but hear me out for a second. If you need proof of my analytical credentials, just believe me when I say I captained my Uni’s intramural team and was labelled as the ‘Sunday League Iniesta’ back in Under 11’s by my younger brother’s best mate.
So, now we’ve got that out the way, listen in closely. As the minutes dragged on, Morocco’s resolve never waned, their deep shape absorbed Portugal’s fruitless jabs and wild swings. Something was mesmerising about Morocco’s high-octane playstyle. I was transfixed by their impermeable defence, their insatiable midfield energy, or by the fact that I love seeing underdogs win against sore losers. Their squad is flecked with obvious talent, typified by the ever-graceful Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi, or the Goalkeeper of the Tournament in waiting, Yassine Bono. However, as any edgy commentator would, I’m going to argue for the underdog’s pick, the underdog’s underdog if you will, in the form of Sofyan Amrabat as today’s talking point. First things first. I need to come clean early. Truthfully, I’d never heard of him before the World Cup commenced. There, I said it. I’m not passing the buck. I’m facing the music so that if any of you reading were like me, you don’t have to. When the commentator announced his name against Croatia on match day one, I smirked, murmuring “he was a bang average Watford winger back in the day” to my Dad. Typically, I was wrong. Sofyan’s older brother, Nordin, did play for Walter Mazzari’s Watford.
Find out what Moroccan journalist Amine El Amri had to say on the links here
However, since 2020, Sofyan, a central midfielder, has plied his trade for Florence outfit Fiorentina in the Italian Serie A. Embarrassed by my mistake and absence of research, I seized my phone to check Amrabat’s FIFA rating on ‘SoFIFA’, the holy grail for making snap judgements on players I’ve never seen. 76 Overall. 79 Potential. ‘Hmmm… not ideal, Europa League quality at best’ I thought. And yet, as soon as the referee blew his whistle, from minute one, to minute ninety, Amrabat has been a revelation all tournament. His first performance even had me scouring YouTube for naff player compilation videos, the inimitable type with cheap electronic music and sensationalist titles, like ‘This is Why EVERY Team in Europe Wants to Sign Sofyan Amrabat!’. After watching six minutes of skills, passes and tackles, let me tell you, I was on board the hype train. In the most backhanded compliment, I can offer, Amrabat is an eyesore to watch. Now don’t worry, I’m not picking on his looks, far from it. In fact, he’s got the kind of soulful beauty I feel we’ve missed since Gini Wijnaldum’s departure, a sort of genial charm and rugged handsomeness that few possess… Anyways, I’m digressing from the point. Amrabat is an eyesore in the sense that I feel exhausted watching him play. In the games he’s played so far, Amrabat has covered every blade of grass on the pitch, three times over. I remember listening to Jose Mourinho wax lyrical about our own terrier, Andy Robertson, stating “I am still tired to look at Robertson. He makes a 100m sprint per minute! Incredible”. Whilst I hope this is the only time that I’ll praise Jose, I know there’s value in his appraisal in a broader sense. He’s a tyrant in the middle of the park: strong in the challenge, graceful on the ball, and simplistic in the pass. He’s the Henry Hoover of the football world, a classic, no-nonsense sort of player. Much like Britain’s most coveted cleaning appliance, with Amrabat, you know what you’re going to get when he steps onto the field. The same can be said about Liverpool’s midfield, but it’s just getting them on the field that remains the issue. Our midfield three needs a refresh, and as much as I want to believe that Jude Bellingham will be strolling up to the AXA Training Centre on July 1st, 2023, Liverpool needs to think pragmatically if that dream doesn’t come true.
So, suppose reports are to be true and Fiorentina are willing to let Amrabat go for less than £30 million, Julian Ward should be sorting the paperwork ASAP, before he himself heads out the exit door with a P45 under-arm. One final point to bear in mind is the small case of the post-World Cup transfer curse. Liverpool fans beware. If you are unlucky enough to remember the Reds spurning the opportunity to sign Nicolas Anelka permanently back in the summer of 2002, you’ll know it well. Rumour has it, even whispering the name ‘El Hadji Diouf’ still makes Steven Gerrard burst a blood vessel. Alas, should a transfer materialise, much like Morocco, Amrabat will, with any luck, surprise more than a few people going forward.
As for Luis Diaz’s recent injury which will reportedly keep him out of action until March, give me a few hours to grab a cuppa, watch some more World Cup highlights, burn through some player compilations and I’ll get back to you with some more under-researched findings…
Written by Ollie Clark
