Wolves‘ Rayan Ait-Nouri has been linked to Liverpool this summer time, an thrilling younger left-back possibility who the membership ought to significantly contemplate within the switch market.
The Reds have been claimed to be in “pole place” to signal the 23-year-old, with noise over an exit from Wolves rising louder in his dwelling nation, Algeria.
Liverpool journalist David Lynch just lately defined his perception that there’s “positively legs on this one,” and it bought us fascinated with the probabilities.
The membership would seemingly must promote earlier than they made a transfer to usher in a left-back, with Kostas Tsimikas‘ future already unsure. Regardless, Ait-Nouri is a expertise Liverpool must be severely contemplating.
Versatile and coachable
At 23, Ait-Nouri has over 140 senior membership appearances – along with 4 caps for Algeria – and has the flexibility to play in quite a lot of positions, which Wolves boss Gary O’Neil has tapped into.
Whether or not or not it’s as an orthodox left-back, a left midfielder or a left wing-back, Ait-Nouri is comfy in mixing it up – even in the identical match.
It has proven off his self-discipline, recreation intelligence and diligence, traits which haven’t at all times been current in his recreation.
“He has an unimaginable expertise and talent, and the most important enchancment may be made with him simply by teaching and him understanding his roles and duties higher for every recreation,” O’Neil stated final season.
“We’re attempting to enhance him positionally and together with his decision-making, however we now have somebody who has that a lot scope for enchancment.”
O’Neil oversaw Ait-Nouri’s shift at Wolves from a participant on the cusp of an exit to a key part and constant member of the XI, and notably, he coined him “coachable.”
Able to take the sport on
The 2023/24 marketing campaign was a major one in Ait-Nouri’s growth, with 29 Premier League begins, and the very first thing that catches your eye when watching him is his want to run on the opposition.
Liverpool’s full-backs underneath Jurgen Klopp had been the artistic hubs of the workforce, as for Slot, he has been identified to make use of them in a midfield function to supply extra choices within the build-up.
That is maybe the place Andy Robertson and Ait-Nouri differ, with the Wolves man rated extremely for profitable take-ons – as per FBref, he’s ranked within the 98th percentile in comparison with others in the identical place.
The Algeria worldwide is comfy on the ball, 86th percentile for go completion, so he’s adept at shifting it on in the fitting moments. However he’s bought grit to him too, as he’s within the 87th percentile for tackles.
He has the power to transition successfully from defence to midfield, and again once more, one thing Robertson has not at all times had, and we now have seen Liverpool pay for it once in a while.
It’s these traits that permit Ait-Nouri, a participant Liverpool scouted earlier than his transfer to Wolves, to flee strain and create openings within the remaining third, and his tempo doesn’t harm both!
If we’re in search of an space to enhance, it will be profiting from his large possibilities in entrance of objective as he missed 5 for Wolves within the league final season.
In case you’re questioning what his output is, he has scored seven targets and equipped eight assists in his Wolves profession so far, which has spanned 116 video games.
A distinct profile
It goes with out saying that he’s youthful than the Scotland captain (30), but when the Reds signed Ait-Nouri this summer time he could be the identical age as Robertson when he arrived at Anfield in 2017 (23).
Whereas they share comparable attacking mindsets, they’ve totally different traits that might assist Arne Slot.
Robertson is an elite crosser of the ball, whereas Ait-Nouri prefers to get nearer to the opposition field and lower the ball again, and there’s nonetheless huge room for enchancment and for Slot to mould the Algerian to his liking.
That does elevate one of many downsides, although, which is that he could be concerned within the Africa Cup of Nations, which isn’t fairly a promoting level as a result of timing of the tournaments.
With versatility, expertise, youth and each offensive and defensive qualities to play with, Ait-Nouri seems a great candidate to inject recent blood into the left-back place.
Reviews counsel Liverpool would want to half with between £35 million and £40 million to land him, on the very least, however you sense that might be a price reflective of the expertise they’d be buying.
