Liverpool's Midfield Search: Orozco Not in Plans

Liverpool’s search for midfield steel will not lead them to Colombia’s latest prodigy, with Matias Orozco now described as having a “zero per cent” chance of ending up at Anfield.

The club’s new era under Andoni Iraola has already felt jagged and uncertain. A late rescue job at St. James’ Park brought a point against Newcastle United, but it also exposed familiar concerns. The balance of the midfield. The protection in front of the back four. The roles of marquee arrival Florian Wirtz and both full-backs. All under the microscope.

And yet, the recruitment radar seems fixed elsewhere. Another winger is edging closer. Yankuba Minteh is understood to be near the finish line, while Bradley Barcola’s name has hovered around Liverpool’s window plans for weeks. A defensive midfielder, though – the profile many supporters are crying out for – is not currently being lined up in the shape of Orozco.

Carragher sounds the alarm

Jamie Carragher did not sugar-coat his assessment of Liverpool’s draw at Newcastle. The former defender tore into the structure of the midfield, questioning Ryan Gravenberch’s positioning and insisting Dominik Szoboszlai is ill-suited to a disciplined double pivot.

“I think Liverpool do need someone alongside Gravenberch,” Carragher said, before stressing that the answer is not simply a destroyer who can’t use the ball. If you play for a side with Liverpool’s ambitions, he argued, you must be able to take control of possession as well as break up play.

“I want someone in [the midfield] who can run,” he added, making it clear he sees Szoboszlai further forward, in the no.10 role, rather than shackled deeper.

It is exactly the sort of conversation that makes a name like Matias Orozco intriguing. A deep-lying playmaker. Just 18. Already breaking through in senior football. On paper, he ticks a lot of boxes.

But not for Liverpool.

Orozco off the table for Anfield

Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra has poured cold water on any suggestion that Orozco is Anfield-bound. Despite earlier reports from local outlet VBar Caracol that the Deportivo Cali youngster was close to a move to Merseyside, that talk is now being dismissed in firm terms.

The Barranquilla-born midfielder burst into Deportivo Cali’s first team last season, quickly attracting scouts with his composure and range of passing from deep. His rise sparked a flurry of speculation, and England looked a likely destination.

Just not the red half of it.

Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Everton, Aston Villa, Fulham and Manchester City have all been mentioned as admirers. Leeds United and Brentford have also been floated as possible landing spots, underlining the level of interest across the Premier League and Championship.

City, for their part, have already moved in the South American market again, tying up a deal for Palmeiras winger Allen. Orozco could be next in the broader Premier League queue, but at this stage, Liverpool are not pushing their way to the front.

So as Iraola wrestles with his midfield puzzle and Carragher’s words echo around the fanbase, Liverpool’s answer will have to come from elsewhere. The question now is whether that solution is already in the building – or still waiting out there in the market.