Liverpool is expected to bring in experienced German sporting director Jörg Schmadtke to work with Jürgen Klopp, initially on a short-term basis, with the surprise name emerging as an option a few weeks ago.
Schmadtke, the ECHO reports, is en route to Liverpool and the former goalkeeper will soon take up his post as Julian Ward’s replacement, to work with head of recruitment Dave Fallows and chief scout Barry Hunter.
But Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has reported another interesting detail: that Schmadtke will focus primarily on the German market, which is, of course, his area of expertise.
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While Schmadtke’s exact job title is not yet decided, i reports that the 59-year-old’s immediate priority will be to oversee recruitment, even though the bulk of the work has been done by those in the roles currently over the past few months.
Work has already taken place on a move for Alexis Mac Allister, for example, while Mason Mount and Ryan Gravenberch are also targets for the center of the pitch.
It is intriguing, however, that Schmadtke could choose to focus on the Bundesliga. That is what he knows best, but it is also a market that Klopp has relatively rarely used since arriving at Anfield — despite his own knowledge of that league.
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Joël Matip, Naby Keïta, Thiago Alcântara and Ibrahima Konaté were all purchased from German sides, but that is no more than you might expect any other club to dip into that market.
But who might be next? There are certainly some top talents in Germany at the moment, but it would not take Schmadtke to identify someone like Jude Bellingham — instead, it could be some more hidden gems.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Evan Ndicka was linked with a move to Liverpool but that suggestion was played down by the ECHO, with the Reds having no ‘active’ interest in the center-back.
RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai, according to 90Min, was watched by Liverpool scouts over the weekend, while Florian Wirtz, only just 20 years old, is another hugely gifted attacking midfielder that should be on their radar.
If Liverpool could get an advantage in the race for either of those two, that would certainly be no bad thing — though, again, it does not take an expert to pick those players out.
Twenty-two-year-old Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven was suggested by the report in i as one that Liverpool has tracked. Schmadtke, certainly, would have a better idea about him, with some insider info.
Schmadtke worked for Wolfsburg previously and has a good track record with most of his previous clubs for spotting talents that can improve a team and move them up the table.
Whoever it is that the Reds sign, Liverpool needs to get it right this summer in the transfer market — and midfield is not the only area that can be improved.