“He Just Does Not Stop!” – South American Football Writer Talks Up Liverpool Linked ‘Pitbull’ | OneFootball

Liverpool have secured their first victory under Arne Slot, opening their US tour with a 1-0 win over Real Betis in Pittsburgh.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the game in what was a decent runout for the touring squad, with many of Slot’s younger players given a chance to shine.

The only negative note from the fixture was the loss of Curtis Jones to injury on the half-hour mark. The 23-year-old was full of praise for his new head coach in the pre-match press conference and was relishing being given more freedom to express himself on the ball.

Wataru Endo started the match in a defensive midfield position, which suggests that the new boss may appreciate the solidity of a traditional number six.

Earlier this week, Sky Sports reported that LFC sporting director Richard Hughes is prioritising signing a deep-lying midfielder with the club yet to go into the market.

On the latest episode of our Transfer Insight show, we asked Forbes football writer and South American football expert Joseph O’Sullivan to run the rule over some of the continent’s best defensive midfielders, and whether they could be a success in a red shirt.

Joseph was full of praise for Wolves midfielder João Gomes and picked him as a potential good fit for Arne Slot’s side.

“HE’S LIKE A PITBULL” – South American Football Writer On Liverpool Target Joao Gomes

Joseph said:

“Gomes started playing professionally for Flamengo and broke into the team very quickly and ended up playing in the Copa Libertadores final in 2022.

“He started the game – he was a stalwart in that team, which was the best team on the continent. He won pretty much everything in Brazil, and at that stage, we were talking about a 20/21-year-old.

“Wolves themselves brought out a mini-documentary on João Gomes – the fact that he has a stammer or a stutter. I was never aware of that. I think only speaks to his character because it’s just another challenge to deal with.

“I think he could do the lone six stuff. I don’t worry about him off the ball – he’s an absolute pitbull. In the top five leagues, his blocking stats are in the 99th percentile, basically, he’s blocking the ball more than anyone else in football and his tackle rate is pretty much up there too.

“Ball recovery and tackling and blocking – he’s everywhere, covers a lot of ground, never seems to run out of energy. He just does not stop, simple as that.

“He started all four games for Brazil at the Copa, was doing the same thing he does for Wolves – running around like a madman, tackling people.

“His rate of tackling and getting the ball back for his team is magnificent. He doesn’t seem to stop. You can see him internally celebrate those tackles like they’re massive things, which I love. I think psychologically it’s only a good sign.

“The fact that he’s getting in ahead of these guys for Brazil says a lot. The fact that he’s done it now in the Premier League for a year as well says a lot.

“I’m thinking about the good version of Caicedo. Again, based on relentless defensive energy, amazing tackling and just that awareness in defensive positioning. The ‘sweeper’ in the middle and that stamina, that will to win.”

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Redmen Reacts

There has been a different Brazilian mentioned by many Liverpool fans as a potential upgrade in defensive midfield – Atalanta’s Éderson. Despite Éderson helping his side lift the Europa League last season, it is interesting to note that João Gomes has been the preferred option for Brazil coach Dorival Junior. Gomes comes with an excellent pedigree in his home continent, starring in a side that won both the Copa Libertadores and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles. The 23-year-old has spent the last 18 months at Molyneux and has had time to acclimatise to English life and English football. If Arne Slot is looking for a player with exceptional defensive numbers, whilst relying on other players to produce a creative spark in midfield, perhaps João Gomes could be the man for him.

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