Angus is an experienced football journalist at Football FanCast, specialising in Premier League reporting, opinion writing and in-depth football analysis. Since graduating from Southampton Solent University in 2022, he has developed extensive experience covering the English game, producing thousands of articles across a wide range of clubs and competitions.  

Before joining Football FanCast, Angus led VAVEL's Brighton & Hove Albion department, gaining valuable experience in club-specific reporting and editorial leadership. He subsequently joined Football FanCast through Snack Media's academy, now part of Valnet, and has progressed into the publication's Opinions and Features team.
 

As one of Football FanCast's longest-serving writers, Angus has covered numerous major developments across the Premier League, combining breaking news experience with detailed features and considered opinions. His work draws on years of reporting to provide context behind performances, transfer activity and the wider issues shaping English football.

Liverpool made a decision this summer, and they are now paying the price of that choice.

Fans were left puzzled, scratching their heads. Sure, it was exciting to see Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola strengthen the Reds' frontline, but Liverpool didn't sign a full-back nor a central midfielder, with the latter widely accepted as one of the key cruxes of Arne Slot's downfall at the helm last season.

Now, a few months into the Andoni Iraola era, Liverpool find themselves facing similar imbalances. There remains a lack of fluency at Anfield, and it's clear that Liverpool need to sign a midfielder.

After all, Trey Nyoni shouldn't look like the biggest star of Iraola's engine room.

Why it's a problem that Nyoni is Liverpool's best midfielder

Liverpool have lost back-to-back matches, falling at Anfield against Arsenal in the Premier League before losing against Fenerbahce - yet another European defeat in Turkey.

Let's hope that Liverpool can respond before the looming international break, beating Crystal Palace away from home in the Premier League. Liverpool can ill-afford to cede more territory in the race for the title, with hopes of reclaiming the trophy they last won in 2025 already slimming into a sheet of paper, nine points behind Arsenal.

Is it any surprise that Liverpool's lack of poise and purpose in midfield is hindering them? The fanbase saw this one coming, with neither Alexis Mac Allister nor Dominik Szoboszlai nor Ryan Gravenberch "good enough to start in a double pivot", according to analyst Raj Chohan.

It's true. Liverpool have given birth to a midfielder tailor-made for 'Iraolaball' in Nyoni, but the youngster is indeed young, still working things out. He has started three times in the Champions League and has impressed throughout; against Fenerbahce, he was Liverpool's best player, taking 105 touches, completing 92% of his passes, making six defensive contributions and recovering nine balls.

Some performance. Nyoni is the real deal, but it's a problem that none of Liverpool's so-called senior midfielders are providing the right materials this term. With that in mind, FSG might want to make a change, and they might want to make that change as quickly as possible, during the winter transfer window.

How Liverpool can sign the perfect Nyoni partner

Mac Allister's Liverpool future has been a hot topic in recent days. The Argentina international, 27, is out of contract in 2028, but FSG have not yet initiated discussions over renewal.

We are in a situation where I have a year and a half left on my contract, where last season it was conveyed to me that the club’s idea was not to renew my contract, at least for now. And well, obviously it was a painful situation. I still had time or still have time left at this club, which is what I want most, to continue here.

If Liverpool decide to get rid of Mac Allister, they will need to replace him. Even if they don't, they will still need a higher calibre of box-to-box midfielder, and FSG could find the perfect solution in Sunderland's Noah Sadiki.

According to Hooligan Soccer, Liverpool have made the 21-year-old one of their top targets for 2027. Newcastle United are also monitoring the situation with targets having scouted the player.

Valued at £57m, more than any other Sunderland player, Sadiki has been one of the Black Cats' biggest stars since their return to the Premier League last season.

He arrived from Union Saint-Gilloise for around £17.5m in 2025, forming a first-class partnership with Granit Xhaka in midfield, taking Sunderland up, up, up toward a seventh-place finish, clinched at the Stadium of Light on the last day of the league season, when Chelsea were beaten and Europa League football was secured.

With power, persistence and bundles of personality, Sadiki is fast shaping up to be one of the most exciting midfielders in the Premier League, already coveted by the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. His ball-carrying ability is quite the thing, and despite Sunderland's struggles this season, he has still created 0.24 chances per game.

His tireless work rate and ability to carry out the specificities of Regis Le Bris' tactical plans in the top flight has established him as one of Sunderland's best players. At Liverpool, he could be the perfect man to replace Mac Allister and challenge Nyoni for the role of top midfielder on Merseyside.

Sadiki is not a playmaker in the strictest sense of the word, but his range of passing acts as a supplement to his physicality. He could be exactly the kind of robust central profile that has been lacking at Liverpool over the past couple of years. This is exactly the kind of player Iraola needs to charge his double pivot.