Liverpool Midfield Search: Matias Orozco Ruled Out
Liverpool’s search for midfield steel will not lead them to Colombia’s latest prodigy, with teenage talent Matias Orozco effectively ruled out of an Anfield move and handed what’s been described as a “zero per cent chance” of joining the Reds.
Carragher’s warning shot over Liverpool midfield
The new Andoni Iraola era has already hit turbulence. Liverpool scrambled a late point at St James’ Park on Sunday, but the performance raised more questions than it answered, particularly in the middle of the pitch.
Jamie Carragher did not hold back.
The former Liverpool defender tore into the balance of the midfield after the draw with Newcastle United, highlighting Ryan Gravenberch’s positioning and questioning whether Dominik Szoboszlai can operate in a disciplined double pivot.
“I think Liverpool do need someone alongside Gravenberch,” Carragher said, stressing that the solution cannot simply be a destroyer who only tackles and breaks up play. For him, any midfielder at a club of Liverpool’s stature has to handle the ball under pressure, but he wants a runner in there – and he believes Szoboszlai should be pushed up into the no.10 role.
That kind of profile has naturally pushed fans’ eyes towards young defensive midfielders emerging around the world.
Just not this one.
Orozco off the table for Anfield
Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra reports that Matias Orozco will not be heading to Liverpool, despite earlier suggestions that the 18-year-old was close to a move to Merseyside.
Orozco, a deep-lying playmaker from Barranquilla, burst onto the scene with Deportivo Cali last season, drawing admiring glances from Europe. Local outlet VBar Caracol had claimed the teenager was nearing a switch to Anfield, news that quickly rippled through Liverpool circles hungry for a long-term holding midfielder.
That talk has now been shut down. The Anfield route is closed.
The interest around him, though, is very real elsewhere.
- Bournemouth
- Crystal Palace
- Newcastle United
- Everton
- Aston Villa
- Fulham
- Manchester City
have all been mentioned as clubs tracking the youngster. Leeds United and Brentford have also been floated as possible landing spots, underlining just how many Premier League recruiters have flagged his potential.
Manchester City have already moved decisively in the South American market this window, sealing a deal for Palmeiras winger Allen, and could yet return for another wonderkid if they decide Orozco fits their long-term midfield plan.
Liverpool look wide while others hunt deep
While Orozco’s path veers away from Anfield, Liverpool’s recruitment drive is focused elsewhere. A move for Yankuba Minteh is edging closer, and Bradley Barcola has been linked throughout the window as the club explore attacking reinforcements on the flanks.
So the story is clear: the Colombian starlet who seemed, briefly, to be part of Liverpool’s midfield fix will not be the answer.
With Carragher demanding energy and authority in the centre, and rivals circling a teenager many see as a future holding lynchpin, Liverpool’s next move in that area will say plenty about how quickly Iraola’s side can turn a disjointed start into a convincing new era.
