“We talked about it, but it was clear that he wanted to stay at the club,” Adrian said. “He is now in the last year of his contract with the club, I don’t know if they have already started talking to him about renewing the contract or opening the way for him to leave the club, but I can’t see Mohamed Salah currently outside Liverpool.”
Zubimendi profile perfect for Liverpool
While the prospect of signing for Liverpool now looks dead in the water, it is easy to see why Slot was so desperate to bring him to Merseyside and complete what would have looked a perfect midfield trio alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
With the Hungarian providing thrust and a long-range goal threat, together with Mac Allister serving as a lock picker in the final third, Liverpool require a No 6 who can control play in deep areas, shield the backline and service teammates higher up the pitch with crisp forward passes between the lines. To that end, Zubimendi ticks all the boxes.
His average pass completion rate last season of 85.7 per cent ranked in the 79th percentile among La Liga midfielders, while his average of 5.15 progressive passes per 90 minutes put him in the 74th percentile.
He is no slouch defensively, either. Standing a formidable 5ft 11ins, he won 1.49 per 90 aerial duels in La Liga last term, which ranked in the 75th percentile among La Liga midfielders, plus he made 1.83 clearances per 90 (85th percentile) and 1.25 interceptions (76th percentile).
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