Richard Hughes sleepwalking into MAJOR midfield transfer error

It's inevitable that Liverpool will need to make additions to their midfield pack in the near future.

Against Brighton on Saturday, the starting XI featured Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones, with just Wataru Endo missing out with an injury. The slight caveat here is that Arne Slot chose against playing any out-and-out wingers in the front line.

Nonetheless, if this is the system that is going to help bring more consistency to the team's performances, then we might need to invest in signing greater depth to help make it happen.

What's frustrating to hear, however, is that Liverpool are no longer in the running for one of the best talents available on the market, with other Premier League teams heavily interested in making a move.

Hughes is making a big mistake

Liverpool's sporting director was praised heavily over the summer for the club's remarkable recruitment effort, and he's since come under fire for the team's poor form, with the new signings failing to hit the ground running. There is a multitude of different opinions on the transfer guru.

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Right now, however, it appears as though he might be making a big mistake when it comes to the speculation around young AZ Alkmaar midfield prospect Kees Smit, who could leave in January.

The I Paper is reporting that Chelsea are currently frontrunners in the race for him, with Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United all following behind. Right now, a £25m valuation has been placed on the 19-year-old star and it's expected that offers in that region could force the club to sell him.

What's problematic here, is that Liverpool are not mentioned as one of the interested parties, when previous reports from CaughtOffside have extensively reported a different story. Since this is the most recent update we have on the Dutchman, it only feels right to take this information as gospel.

The report also notes that Smit's international manager Ronald Koeman said that he's a similar player to Pedri at Barcelona - comparing him to the former Kopa Trophy winner is an enormous compliment.

And yet, it's probably the most apt way to describe him as a player, because his heat map for the season is all over the pitch, spreading far and wide. He's deep as a No. 6 at times, central in a more No. 8 style, and even getting goals and assists as a false No. 10. He has five goal contributions.

What's perhaps most impressive about Smit is that he's played 2000 minutes for Alkmaar across this campaign so far, and we're only half-way into December. Having that level of fitness at his age, and delivering to such a standard that Maarten Martens doesn't feel he can drop him, is truly remarkable.

For around £30m, it's a no-brainer of a transfer move for Liverpool, especially when you consider how vast the Dutch contingent on Merseyside is. Cody Gakpo, Virgil Van Dijk, Jeremie Frimpong and Gravenberch, alongside Slot and his coaching staff, could all keep him company.

And while it's already been said, it's worth reiterating how essential it is for the Reds to have midfield depth. Against Brighton, Slot used all but Endo in his starting XI. There was no one else on the bench.