For a starting spot, this exciting young player would be a threat to Cody Gakpo.The Premier League shared the full schedule for the 2024–25 season with the public on Tuesday morning. Naturally, Liverpool will start their season with a game away at Ipswich Town at 12:30 p.m. against a team that was just promoted.The German manager Jurgen Klopp may no longer be in charge of Liverpool, but he will definitely shake his head when he hears this. Arne Slot, the new head coach of Anfield, sees the game as just the start of an exciting trip in England’s top flight. Three points will be the only goal.The new manager of the club will have a lot of great players to choose from, but Liverpool still needs to improve key areas like central defence and wide areas during the summer transfer window.That doesn’t mean, though, that Michael Edwards and his team won’t fill other roles if the chance comes up. Well, it’s possible that such a chance has come up…News about Liverpool transfersSpanish news sources say that Liverpool is one of the “main candidates” to sign Juventus young player Kenan Yildiz, who is worth about €30m (£25m) to the Serie A leaders.
Yildiz, who is 19 years old, is a very sought-after player in Italy after a thrilling breakout season, but he has also been mentioned with a move away many times. Arsenal and Manchester United have been particularly interested in him in recent months.
Even though he’s not quite the type of player that the Reds have been linked with—a right-sided, cutting wide forward—Yildiz is a unique market chance, and Slot could make great use of the young player’s growing skills.
How many games did Kenan Yildiz play in 23/24?
In January, Massimiliano Allegri, who used to lead Juventus, said of Yildiz, “There are very few people who can control the ball like a star player.” Besides that, he almost never makes the wrong choice, which is a natural skill. That wasn’t something we had to teach him. He has the power to make a change, so I want him to do even more.
Despite still perching in the maiden stage of his promising career, the Turkey international – who featured at Euro 2024 yesterday – has established himself as a regular matchday feature for the Old Lady despite playing his football at youth level during the 2022/23 campaign.
This season, principally playing off the centre-forward for Juventus, Yildiz scored six goals and supplied two assists for his team, only starting nine matches in the Italian first division but making quite the impression.
FBref says he is in the top 11% of forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for creating shots over the past year. He is also in the top 4% for pass completion, the top 8% for progressive passes, the top 7% for progressive carries, the top 4% for successful take-ons, and the top 9% for tackles per 90.
Yildiz is a great prospect who is both quick and brave. He could be the perfect depth player for Liverpool, and his former coach, Sokyan Baskar, said that he’s “more talented than Cristiano Ronaldo” because of how well he’s started out.
Baskar may be a little too excited about this, but it does give you an idea of how highly this powerful forward is thought of. The world is at his feet, but he has yet to grow out of his teenage years.
It’s important to remember that Ronaldo scored six goals and set up eight others in 40 games during the 2003–04 season, when he was the same age as Yildiz. The young Turk probably won’t hit the same impressive heights as Ronaldo, who is one of the best football players of all time, but the praise shows that he has what it takes to do well at a team like Liverpool.
Why Kenan Yildiz might be a good fit for Liverpool
It’s likely that Yildiz’s lightning-fast speed and smooth footwork will help him become a full-time wide player in the years to come. This could make him Luis Diaz’s replacement at Anfield.
Barcelona has been very interested in the Colombian player in recent weeks. However, Cody Gakpo, another one of Slot’s left wingers, is set to stay and will hope to fight for a bigger role after only playing 17 Premier League games last season.
Gakpo played on the left flank 12 times during the season, but he only got three goals. He was often moved around because he was so versatile, but some of his games have been criticised. For example, Gregg Evans of The Athletic said, “he looks a bit short of pace and physicality.”
It’s clear that Yildiz is strong in these areas. The 6 foot 2 star may look flexible, but he is actually very strong and has an amazing athletic core. Because he is young, he will likely keep getting better over the next few years. Analyst Ben Mattinson even says that he could be a regular player for Thiago Motta’s Juventus next year if he stays in Turin.
With skills that are still getting better and hints of the kind of unique, progressive skills that would put him at the top,
In the event that Diaz is sold this summer, Yildiz could be seen as a smart and exciting replacement. Gakpo will hope that he has shown enough to be a regular starter on the left wing, but if Yildiz is signed, the Dutchman might have to compete with a great young player for a spot on the wing.
