Liverpool will have seen one of their academy products outshine a £100m midfielder this week. Get him in Andoni Iraola's squad!
Liverpool are in the market for a new midfielder. That much is obvious and there have been links to several over the last few months.
Some we agree with, some we don't. But there has been such a large number of midfielders put in stories with the Reds that it's difficult to know for sure what they're after.
For us, a holding midfielder is an absolute must. Or at least someone who can offer control in the middle - be that through positional play or winning the ball back. Liverpool really lack it right now and relying on Trey Nyoni to deliver all season is asking a bit much.
There have been links to Alex Scott at £80m (Sky Sports) but that does feel like an awful lot of money for a player who isn't necessarily the perfect fit. He feels a little more-of-the-same alongside the current group.
So how about another option? One who happens to know the club very well.
Tyler Morton vs Adam Wharton
Adam Wharton is a player heavily linked with Liverpool over the last year. Anfield Watch certainly understands that the Reds considered him over the summer and had tentative discussions with relevant people.
Ultimately, Crystal Palace just have a very high asking price and that’s put all sorts of clubs off. Manchester City had a look (the Athletic) and GiveMeSport claim it would take £100m to sign him.
But Thursday evening showed that they could get a potentially better fit for a lot less money. That’s as Tyler Morton outshone Wharton in the UEFA Europa League.
Lyon beat Palace 3-2 and Morton was excellent as a midfield controller. In truth, they both were - the pair played the full 90 minutes for their respective teams.
Morton, though, was the better controller. He got on the ball more than Wharton (67 touches vs 58) despite the sides both having 50 per cent of the possession. That led to the Lyon star completing more passes (50 of 56 to 45 of 51) and the two of them led the match in completed passes into the final third: Wharton had 11 and Morton had 10.
The key thing here, really, is that Morton is a former Liverpool academy product and therefore carries extra value for the Reds. They also boast a percentage of his next sale - meaning they have a discount on him if they wish to buy him back.
All in all, we think Morton is probably what Liverpool need at the base of their midfield. He’s gone toe-to-toe with a £100m midfielder and shone brightly, while costing far less and ticking the homegrown box.