Liverpool take giant step closer to Sergi Altimira

Liverpool take giant step closer to Sergi AltimiraLiverpool are taking a step closer to signing Sergi Altimira or the next best thing. The Reds have shifted their plans.We've written this week that Liverpool are in the market for a new midfielder and that Sergi Altimira is on their radar. Anfield Watch and he might just be who they move for in 2027.And that would be a fine move. Altimira is a really interesting player and one who our Value Adder model suggests held the highest defensive value per 90 minutes across the top five leagues last season.Sporting certainly believed that. They moved to sign Altimira from Real Betis in the summer, replacing the outgoing Morten Hjulumnd, who signed for Atlético Madrid.We think they've made an upgrade there - and it's drawn the attention of Liverpool. More than that, we think they're making true preparations to sign him.Sergi Altimira is suddenly a perfect fitWe had real questions over the interest in Altimira. He is about as ‘defensive midfielder’ as it gets - tall, large turning circle, not particularly fast, and not one other consistently burst forward.This flies in the face of everything Liverpool have produced in midfield for two years. The Reds have basically just used attacking midfielders, defiantly sticking with their philosophy even when they can’t control a midfield and are losing game after game because of it.Altimira’s display against RC Lens this week, for instance, was the opposite. He sat at the base of a midfield three and spent large portions of the second half between split centre-backs. It’s the Fabinho role at Liverpool - and one it appears they’d done away with.However, Andoni Iraola is opening the door again. He’s played with a sitting midfielder in each of his last two fixtures here, with Alexis Mac Allister doing it against Manchester City and Trey Nyoni against LASK.Such a system means Altimira is a lot more likely to join as Liverpool suddenly do use a player in his role. And considering his numbers last season and this term, there aren’t many better at it.