Jurgen Klopp is in desperate need of a new “specialist No 6," with Jordan Henderson leaving Liverpool and Fabinho exiting Anfield next

£70m-rated Crystal Palace CDM Cheick Doucoure could be the perfect midfield replacement for Henderson and Fabinho

The buzzword circulating amongst Liverpool supporters and Anfield-focused media is “specialist No 6”. With Jordan Henderson out the door following a £12 million transfer to Saudi’s Al Ettifaq and Fabinho headed for the Anfield exit in the coming days, Jurgen Klopp’s squad-building has been thrown into disarray.  

Plenty of Liverpool supporters have become doomsayers on social media, claiming the new season will be a disaster with Henderson and Fabinho both leaving. While the exits of the two senior midfielders aren’t great at this stage in the preseason, it isn’t the worst thing.   

Cast your mind back to December 2022 when plenty of Liverpool supporters were claiming Fabinho’s career on Merseyside was over. There were calls for the club to sell the Brazilian after teenage sensation Stefan Bajcetic earn the No 6 position ahead of Fabinho. The Brazilian will leave for £40m, giving the Reds an additional injection of cash.   

Liverpool will make £52m from the combined sales of Fabinho and Henderson. Fabinho will turn 30 in October and Henderson turned 33 in June. Sure, selling both midfielders isn’t what the club wanted. It pushes forward Liverpool’s squad-building plans by around 12 months; and it may also prevent the Reds from trying to sign a centre-back before the end of the transfer window.   

Against Karlsruher on Wednesday, Liverpool started the preseason with a surprising move. Trent Alexander-Arnold started in midfield and Conor Bradley played right-back. There were some positive moments with the team playing with Alexander-Arnold in midfield, but it is certainly a work in progress. For years, fans have called for Liverpool’s No 66 to be used in midfield, but Klopp likely played Alexander-Arnold in midfield out of necessity rather than as a plan for the future. 

Liverpool are expected to use the money for Fabinho and Henderson to sign another midfielder. Southampton’s Romeo Lavia is one of the most widely tipped player to join Liverpool. But the Reds aren’t completely sold on the talented youngster. Lavia is only 19 and lacks first-team experience. He played 29 times for Southampton last season in the Premier League. Liverpool have been turned off by Lavia’s £50m price tag, which they feel is excessive.  

In the build-up to Wednesday’s preseason match with Karlsruher, Liverpool were linked with Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure. The defensive midfielder, a specialist No 6, is 23 years old and has the senior football experience Lavia lacks. Doucoure would cost Liverpool £70m. Crystal Palace do not want to lose a key player and have valued Doucoure based on the amount Southampton want for Lavia.   

What would Doucoure bring to Liverpool?  

Doucoure would be an ideal replacement for Fabinho. He is over six years younger, quick, strong, and has played a season in the Premier League following multiple campaigns in France with Lens.   

Before moving to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2022, Doucoure played 131 times for Lens, with 67 of those appearances coming in Ligue 1. A Mali international, Doucoure made 34 appearances for Palace last term. He was consistently in the team for Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson. Three of Doucoure’s four absences came due to suspension, so there is a history of making rash tackles. However, at Liverpool, he would likely need to make fewer aggressive tackles, with the quality around him.    

He tallied 2,786 total minutes in the Premier League for an average of 81.9 minutes per match. In the Liverpool team, Doucoure would sit at the base of the defence to protect the back four. He would be tasked with building the attack after winning the ball and playing passes to the more creative players. Goals and assists are not Doucoure’s strengths. He didn’t score last season at Palace but managed three assists. 

According to FBREF, Doucoure averaged 2.5 tackles, 1.92 interceptions, 1.53 blocks, 1.56 clearances, and an 83.2% pass success rate per game. Doucoure had 761 carries and notched 18 progressive carries. Playing as Palace’s No 6 didn’t give him the chance to get forward with the ball often.   

But how does Doucoure compare to Fabinho? Well, in 2022-23, Doucoure was better in the previously mentioned stats.   

Fabinho averaged 2.13 tackles, 1.25 interceptions, 1,25 blocks, 1.23 clearances, and an 88.2% pass success rate. His pass rate was better than Doucoure’s, but that can be down to playing in a better overall squad. The Brazilian’s season only improved for Liverpool toward the final stage of the campaign after struggling for much of it. The midfielder played 36 times for the Reds in the league, compiling 2,671 minutes – 74.2 minutes per game.   

Romeo Lavia had a good season, but not as good as Doucoure. He spent the campaign battling against relegation until Southampton were ultimately sent down. Lavia averaged 2.43 tackles, 1.34 interceptions, 1.90 blocks, and 0.93 clearances. Lavia also had a pass success rate of 86.2% and 22 progressive carries in the Premier League from a total of 804 carries.   

Ideally, Liverpool could afford to buy both Doucoure and Lavia. However, despite what a lot of football fans on social media think, the real-life football transfer market is nothing like FIFA or EA Sports FC.   

Doucoure’s slightly more experience playing first-team football makes him an ideal signing. But Palace’s £70m price tag could be the difference between Liverpool signing the Mali international and Lavia. Palace won’t sell unless they can get a replacement No 6.   

Liverpool do have 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic coming back from injury. He will be in the mix for the starting No 6 position. Tyler Morton could also be given a chance in preseason to win the No 6 role after returning from loan at Blackburn Rovers. The problem with Lavia, despite a lack of first-team football, is his age. Adding the teenager would give Klopp another young player lacking experience.   

Last season, a lot of complaints centred around Liverpool’s team being too old. Now, with Fabinho and Henderson departing, the team could become too young and inexperienced. Klopp has plenty of options in-house to play in midfield. But if the Reds want to fight for a trophy, high-quality depth is likely needed.