Liverpool’s Midfield Search Hits Dead End with Matias Orozco
Liverpool’s hunt for fresh blood in midfield has hit a dead end with one highly rated teenager. Matias Orozco, the Colombian wonderkid briefly tipped for Anfield, has effectively been ruled out as an option – with one report putting Liverpool’s chances at “zero per cent”.
It comes at an awkward moment. Andoni Iraola’s reign has begun in stuttering fashion, Liverpool scraping a late draw at St. James’ Park and leaving more questions than answers about the balance of his side.
The performance against Newcastle United exposed familiar fault lines. The defensive midfield zone looked vulnerable, the full-backs were targeted, and even marquee signing Florian Wirtz found himself under the microscope. Instead of locking down the centre of the pitch, Liverpool are understood to be pushing ahead with moves in wide areas: a deal for Yankuba Minteh is close, while Bradley Barcola has been a recurring name throughout the window.
Jamie Carragher, watching his former club labour through the opener, did not hold back. The one-club Liverpool legend tore into the midfield structure, highlighting Ryan Gravenberch’s positioning and insisting Dominik Szoboszlai lacks the “discipline” for a double pivot.
“I think Liverpool do need someone alongside Gravenberch,” Carragher said, before stressing that the solution cannot be a pure destroyer. “It doesn't necessarily have to be a player who can't get on the ball, who's just tackling and stopping players.
“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.”
On paper, Orozco sounded like the type of profile that might tempt Liverpool. The Barranquilla-born deep-lying playmaker broke into Deportivo Cali’s first team last season, earning a reputation in Colombia as one of the most composed young midfielders in the league. Local outlet VBar Caracol went as far as to claim the 18-year-old was close to a move to Merseyside.
That storyline has now been shut down. Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra reports that Orozco will not be heading to Anfield, with Liverpool not in the running despite the early noise around a potential deal.
The teenager’s future still looks destined for Europe, just not in red. Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Everton, Aston Villa, Fulham and Manchester City have all been mentioned as admirers of the Deportivo Cali talent. Leeds United and Brentford have also been floated as possible landing spots.
City, for their part, are continuing their own aggressive push into the South American market. They have just wrapped up a deal for Palmeiras winger Allen, underlining a clear strategy of snapping up emerging stars before they explode on the global stage.
Liverpool, by contrast, remain stuck in a familiar dilemma. They know the midfield needs recalibrating. Their most vocal pundits are spelling it out. Yet as one more promising name slips from their grasp, the question lingers: who will actually arrive to anchor Iraola’s new era?
