Liverpool are linked with Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure, so we simulated what could happen with the Mali international in the Reds squard.
After failed moves for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Liverpool could turn their attention to Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure before the end of the transfer window.
It’s no secret that Liverpool are in desperate need of a new defensive midfielder, with Jurgen Klopp’s side having spent the summer transfer window looking for one. After the unplanned departures of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, the Reds have been left short-staffed in midfield, with Stefan Bajcetic the only recognised defensive midfielder in the squad.
Liverpool submitted a British record fee of £110m for Brighton’s Caicedo, but the midfielder chose Chelsea instead, and it also looks the case with Southampton’s Lavia who is on the verge of a £58m move to Stamford Bridge. A tough few days in the transfer market have left Liverpool with limited options, buy Doucoure could be available, with the Independent reporting that the Reds are targeting the Palace midfielder who could cost under £60million.
So, if the Reds were to sign Doucoure, could he solve the Reds’ midfield problem? We simulated next season with the 23-year-old in Klopp’s side to find out.
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2023 to arrange for Doucoure to sign for Liverpool, linking up with the squad before the clash with Bournemouth on the weekend. We then simulated the 2023/24 season to see what sort of impact he could have.
Despite filling the gap in the Liverpool midfield, Doucoure wasn’t trusted by Klopp from the go, with the Mali international starting off as a rotation player. As the season went on, he established himself as a starter, picking up two Player of the Match awards and 14 consecutive starts at the end of the season.
Over the course of the campaign, Doucoure managed 39 appearances, with 21 of them starts and 18 off the bench, making him the sixth most-played midfielder in Klopp’s squad. The 23-year-old did manage to register five goals and seven assists as well, offering a nice attacking input.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Harvey Elliott and Thiago were used the most and all averaged the highest ratings in the squad, whilst Stefan Bajcetic continued to feature regularly in the Liverpool side. Alexis Mac Allister struggled with injuries as the Argentine was limited to 28 appearance.
At the end of the 2023/24 season, Football Manager 23 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Liverpool best XI: (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Thiago, Szobozslai, Elliott; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
Despite ending the season on a high, Doucoure did not make Liverpool’s best XI, with his average rating lower than the chosen midfield trio of Thiago, Szoboszlai and Elliott. Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz joined Mohamed Salah in the front three as Darwin Nunez just missed out, despite notching 21 goals in all competitions
Thiago went the whole season injury-free and was a vital part of Liverpool’s squad in the 2023/24 campaign, with all the new additions pulling their weight and helping Liverpool challenge on all fronts. The Reds were extremely impressive in the Premier League, and despite winning just two of their final five games, Klopp’s side won the league in dramatic fashion.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City were neck and neck for the Premier League title, but a manic end to the season saw all three drop points, with City losing two and drawing one in their final three games. On the final day of the season, the Reds had to match or better City’s result, and both teams drew as Liverpool lifted the trophy.
The Reds added a second trophy to their cabinet at the end of the season, beating Arsenal 1-0 in the Europa League final after the Gunners dropped out of the Champions League in the group stages. Liverpool’s FA Cup journey ended with a 3-1 loss to Manchester United in the quarter-finals, whilst a penalty shootout defeat to Newcastle saw Klopp’s side eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the third round.
If Liverpool were to sign Doucoure, Football Manager 2023 predicts that the midfielder could have a slow start to life at Anfield before turning good and helping the Reds win the double. The Mali international’s impact was nothing special though, with many of the Reds’ current midfield selection outperforming the 23-year-old in the simulation.