Joelinton to Liverpool?! Rejuvenated Newcastle star billed by Hamann as perfect transfer target for Klopp

• Reds want to reinforce engine room
• Transfer window now open
• Brazilian has impressed at St James' Park

WHAT HAPPENED? Jurgen Klopp is considered to be in need of fresh faces at Anfield that will rejuvenate an ageing engine room and get the Reds firing on all cylinders once more. Hamann believes holding and attacking options may be required in current and upcoming transfer windows, with a Brazilian forward that has become something of a cult hero at St James’ Park a surprising option that Liverpool may look to consider.

WHAT THEY SAID: Hamann, who represented Liverpool and Newcastle in his playing days, has told talkSPORT of the additions required in Klopp’s midfield: “It depends on what Fabinho does over the next couple of months or probably until the end of the season. I think if Fabinho doesn’t pick up, they probably need a holding midfielder, and then I think they need an offensive midfielder.

“I’ve always looked at a player like Joelinton, I think they need a physical presence in midfield. I think they’ve got a lot of players in midfield, they’re all pretty similar, they can all handle the ball, they’re technically very gifted, but I also think they need a physical presence, especially in the Premier League. If Fabinho doesn’t pick up, I would say a defensive midfielder and somebody who gets a goal from midfield.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Joelinton was initially considered to be a flop at Newcastle on the back of his £40 million ($48m) move from Hoffenheim in the summer of 2019, with goals proving to be in short supply, but he has dropped into a deeper role for the Magpies of late and has impressed with his physicality and work rate in an attacking midfield post.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Liverpool are in the process of identifying possible targets for the January window, which is now open for business, while the expectation is that big money will be spent at Anfield over the summer as Klopp seeks to freshen up a squad that has found consistency uncharacteristically hard to come by in 2022-23.