€26m forward could finally get Liverpool move after Melwood visit three years ago
Jeremy Doku reportedly rejected a move to Liverpool three years ago in order to play
regularly and keep developing but talk has resurfaced regarding him being a player Liverpool
could sign.
While it might seem from the outside like clubs only think about making signings during
the summer or winter transfer windows but the reality is that clubs, especially ones
as big and as ambitious as Liverpool, are constantly working behind the scenes.
It’s not just negotiations and talks but it’s research, character evaluation and
investigation into the finances involved.
Occasionally, clubs give talented young players tours of their stadiums or training grounds
and as the Guardian reported in 2018, then 16-year-old Jeremy Doku was given a tour of
Melwood and he bumped into Jurgen Klopp although it probably wasn’t a coincidence.
Klopp stopped and spoke to the player and his father, who said: “He explained to us
that Jeremy could replace Sadio Mane in a few years.”
The Liverpool Echo reports: “Steven Gerrard, Liverpool U18s manager at the time, was also
involved, while Salah handed him a shirt, and Mane, Gini Wijnaldum and Mignolet all
supposedly stopped for a few words.”
While Doku and his father made the mature decision to reject overtures from Liverpool
and stay at Anderlecht before moving to Stade Rennais last summer for €26m, David Hughes
said on the Analysing Anfield podcast that the Reds could take a closer look at him during
the Euros with Belgium.
Just 19, the incredibly fast forward has drawn comparisons to Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, with
Huges saying: “I have watched a lot of clips of him and he has a similarity with a Mane-type
player – hard to predict on the ball, only small but very strong, and has a lot of pace.”
As Hughes goes on to point out, Doku is yet to display the kind of goalscoring form which
earned Mane a move to Anfield as the Belgian has scored just four goals this season but
did manage to assist 8.
Liverpool are in the market for a forward but will be looking for a player like Diogo
Jota, who can arrive and make an immediate impact but also has a very high ceiling on
his potential.
Doku has his whole career ahead of him but will need to improve his output before he
can sign for Liverpool. He might have been a target previously but while the club is
sure to be tracking his progress in Ligue 1, 4 goals in 44 appearances simply isn’t
good enough.
He actually reminds me more of Allan Saint-Maximin, who is one of the best dribbles in the Premier
League. Much like Doku, the Newcastle United forward could do with adding more goals and
assists to his game and focus less on dribbling past two or three players.
Data from the Squawka Comparison Matrix shows that from roughly the same number of games
they have very similar stats ranging from goals and assists to take-ons completed and
if either player adds more tangible numbers to their game, they could be incredible players.
Unfortunately for Doku, unless he explodes into life at the EUROs, he won’t be on his
way to the Premier League just yet but time is on his side and there’s no telling what
he will be capable of after another season in Ligue 1 with Rennes.