Fansided

5 players Liverpool could target in the summer

By Liam Bekker

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 06: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN O N SUNDAY OUT) Jurgen Klopp Manager of Liverpool during a press conference at Anfield on May 06, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 06: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN O N SUNDAY OUT) Jurgen Klopp Manager of Liverpool during a press conference at Anfield on May 06, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) /
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LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – OCTOBER 04: Julian Brandt of Bayer 04 Leverkusen comes on as a substitute for Kai Havertz of Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the UEFA Europa League Group A match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and AEK Larnaca at BayArena on October 4, 2018 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – OCTOBER 04: Julian Brandt of Bayer 04 Leverkusen comes on as a substitute for Kai Havertz of Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the UEFA Europa League Group A match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and AEK Larnaca at BayArena on October 4, 2018 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz

Okay, so maybe we cheated and added six players instead of five but Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz were a package deal this season. Between them, the pair were responsible for 24 league goals and 14 assists which propelled Leverkusen to a Champions League spot.

Under Peter Bosz, Brandt and Havertz operated interchangeably between the number 8 and number 10 roles to great effect. While Havertz was the aggressor in terms of goals, scoring a record 17 in a single season by a teenager,  Brandt was the more creative with 11 assists. Together they combined to form one of the league’s most exciting partnerships.

For the latter, his form was directly attributable to a shift in position which saw him moved from the left wing to a more central role. He was the creative force behind the likes of Havertz, Lucas Alario and Kevin Volland, whose goals resulted in Leverkusen ending the campaign as the Bundesliga’s fourth-highest scoring team.

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Havertz ended as the joint-third highest scorer in the league. The 19-year-old was an ever-present for his club and smashed a number of records on route to his 17-goal haul. His goalscoring form is made all the more impressive by his creative and defensive returns which all indicate towards a complete player.

For Liverpool, signing either of Brandt or Havertz would be a great piece of business by the club. Signing both would put the club in genuine contention of winning the Premier League next season.

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