Transfer Scout Report: Will Jorginho Frello help Liverpool dominate midfield?

Verona’s Jorginho Frello

Brendan Rodgers is becoming increasingly frustrated at his team’s lack of cohesion, control and possession this season. Last season, his first at the club, was all about teaching the players his system; his style of play. Towards the end of the campaign, it was working well and the system had clicked. Liverpool were finally marrying good results with good performances.

However, this season has been different. Despite a good start that sees the Reds sitting pretty inside the top four of the Premier League, their performances have been disjointed. Rodgers is pleased with the results but is annoyed at how his team is playing.

“I go on about performance because I don’t just like to get three points; I worry about playing well and playing in a certain way. That’s always how I’ve been,” Rodgers said after the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United.

One of the main reasons for Liverpool’s poor control of matches and lack of possession is down to the midfield. Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva have been paired together for the most part, with Jordan Henderson recently replacing Lucas next to his English counterpart, Gerrard.

But there seems to be no real control of the tempo of the game and control of the ball which Rodgers desperately craves. It is thought that he’s looking at central midfielders to sign in January and one player he should look at is Verona’s Jorginho Frello.

The 21-year-old has impressed in Serie A this season, scoring five goals in 8 matches as well as boasting a passing accuracy of 85%.

He could be the perfect foil for Gerrard in midfield as his passing is just as superb as his attacking intent.

In Verona’s recent 2-2 draw with Torino, Jorginho showed up all over the pitch; his heat map is one of the best you could come across.

In the same match, he completed 90% of his passes (79/88), played one key pass and scored with his only shot of the game.

The 21-year-old’s defensive display against Livorno in a 2-1 victory showed his all-round midfield ability. Despite scoring a goal, it was his defensive work that won the plaudits.

Five interceptions, two out of three headers won and six out of seven successful tackles rounded off a fantastic display. Throughout the season so far, he has won the majority of his tackles (13/18).

In a midfield pairing with Steven Gerrard, he could flourish and develop into a top class central midfielder capable of, one day, taking over from Gerrard.

With Gerrard and Lucas’ lack of mobility, Rodgers may be looking for a midfield engine to drive Liverpool on and Jorginho could be the perfect answer for his side’s questionable midfield performances.

However, he has stated that he would like to stay in Italy.

“Staying here for another season would only do me good,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Judging by his performances so far, it won’t be long until he makes the move away from Verona and it could come as soon as January. Arsenal and Chelsea are also said to be interested in acquiring his services after his dominant displays have propelled the newly promoted side up to fourth in Serie A.

I’d urge Brendan Rodgers to take a serious look at Jorginho. He fits the mould of player that Liverpool are hoping to sign and develop and he could become a key component of a talented Liverpool side.