Liverpool's Midfield Dilemma: Orozco Ruled Out

Liverpool’s search for midfield steel will not lead them to Colombia’s latest prodigy, with Matias Orozco effectively ruled out as an Anfield option and handed what’s been described as a “zero per cent chance” of joining the club.

Carragher turns up the heat on Liverpool’s midfield

The debate over Liverpool’s engine room flared again after a stuttering start under Andoni Iraola, capped by a scrambled late point at St. James’ Park. The performance raised fresh doubts about the balance of the side, particularly in defensive midfield, and shone an uncomfortable light on marquee signing Florian Wirtz, the full-backs and the structure in front of the back line.

Jamie Carragher did not hold back. Assessing the draw with Newcastle United, the former Liverpool defender picked apart the midfield setup, focusing on Ryan Gravenberch’s role and Dominik Szoboszlai’s suitability in a double pivot.

“I think Liverpool do need someone alongside Gravenberch,” Carragher said, stressing that the answer is not simply a destroyer who only tackles and breaks up play. “If you play for one of the top teams in the world, like Liverpool are, you need to be able to get hold of the ball: but I want someone in [the midfield] who can run, and I just think Szoboszlai has to go to the no.10.”

His words cut to the heart of Liverpool’s problem: they need legs, control and discipline at the base of midfield. The type of profile many assumed Orozco might one day fit.

Orozco off the table for Anfield

That assumption has now been firmly checked. Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra reports that Orozco will not be heading to Liverpool, despite earlier noise from his homeland.

The deep-lying playmaker, born in Barranquilla, burst into Deportivo Cali’s first team last season and quickly drew admiring glances. Local outlet VBar Caracol went as far as to claim the 18-year-old was close to a move to Merseyside, fuelling talk that Liverpool had identified him as a long-term answer in front of the defence.

That narrative has been shut down. The suggestion of an imminent Anfield switch looks premature, with Liverpool not in the running and a queue forming elsewhere in the Premier League.

• Bournemouth
• Crystal Palace
• Newcastle United
• Everton
• Aston Villa
• Fulham
• Manchester City

have all been cited as clubs tracking the teenager, underlining the scale of interest in one of Colombia’s standout young talents.

City, for their part, have just wrapped up another South American deal, securing Palmeiras winger Allen, as reported by the BBC. Their presence in the Orozco conversation only adds to the sense that the continent’s brightest prospects are being hoovered up quickly by England’s elite and ambitious.

Leeds United and Brentford have also been mentioned as possible landing spots for Orozco, widening the field and making it clear his next step is unlikely to be under the Anfield lights.

Wingers in, midfielder still missing

While the Orozco door closes, Liverpool’s recruitment focus appears to be drifting wide rather than central. A move for Yankuba Minteh is close, and Bradley Barcola has been linked throughout the window as the club weigh up adding yet another winger to an already stacked forward line.

It leaves a curious picture. The team looks short of a specialist to anchor the midfield, Carragher is calling for a runner who can control games and protect the back four, yet the market moves point towards more firepower out wide instead of a young holding midfielder like Orozco.

Liverpool’s need in that area is obvious. The player to fix it is not.