The new version of Coutinho: Midfielder set to fly to UK to sign for Liverpool

Liverpool come into this transfer window with a heap of uncertainty. It really could not be more different than last summer.

A year ago they were celebrating the title win and getting ready to have one of the biggest summers in the club's history. They welcomed Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong to the club.

Yet, to date, only one of those signings have really come good; Ekitike.

It's an alarming waste of funds so far. Liverpool were way off the pace in the race to defend their Premier League crown and doubt surrounding Arne Slot's position at Anfield has only increased.

This summer, therefore, is a crucial one.

How Liverpool intend to bolster the squad

The likelihood is that Slot stays in Merseyside but when the squad reunite for pre-season, they will do so without two club legends in the form of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.

Salah may not have enjoyed his finest campaign in Liverpool colours but he will leave a huge hole behind. As a result, the Reds are primarily looking for a new winger in the market.

Yan Diomande is the name on everybody's lips and they are in talks to sign him from RB Leipzig. The trouble is they face intense competition from Champions League finalists PSG.

That said, if the Ligue 1 club do bring in the Ivorian, it's likely Bradley Barcola will leave. Liverpool have the French wide player on their radar as a result.

For Richard Hughes and Co, it's not just about signing players ready for the present but also for the future. They are set to officially welcome Jeremy Jacquet to the club this summer but he's not the only talented young player who could join.

Reporting this week, Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed that a deal is "done" to sign teenage attacking midfielder Samuel Martinez from Atletico National in his homeland of Colombia.

Aged just 17, the Reds will not be able to welcome him into the fold until he turns 18 in April 2027, meaning we won't get to see him play for Liverpool until the pre-season of 2027/28 at the earliest.

That said, according to Plettenberg, Martinez is due to fly to the UK for medical examinations before signing a five year contract.

Why Martinez could be Liverpool's new Coutinho

Who is Martinez? Yeah, we hear you loud and clear, he's a very unproven talent. That said, signing young players from South America is all the range right now and the teenager looks like one of the best players in his age group.

When a young player gets linked with a top European club as in this situation, it's only natural to make comparisons to players of the past but as the Athletic's Felipe Cardenas outlines, Martinez's 'lanky frame, upright style of running and deceptive speed in short bursts conjured images of Brazilian legend Kaka'.

That's quite a comparison to make but excitingly, the Colombian is part of a dying breed of attacking midfielders.

In the robotic days of modern football, those maverick sort of players have been taken away from us. There's not much excitement. One of very few players in the Premier League like that at the moment is Manchester City's Rayan Cherki.

Martinez is a likeminded player. From a Liverpool perspective, think of Philippe Coutinho. They may well have signed Wirtz last summer but few evoke as much excitement from those central pockets as the Brazilian did at Anfield.

The young Colombian is not a direct similar profile to Coutinho. He looks taller and has a more wirey frame. Yet, the core attributes are alike.

As analyst and Liverpool reporter Bence Bocsak notes, Liverpool would ge getting "a gem of a midfielder." Bocsak notes that he is a "brilliant ball carrier" and the data supports that.

He completed a whopping 7.23 dribbles per 90 minutes at the U17 CONMEBOL and completed 62.5% of his attempts. He also completed 3.25 progressive runs per 90 which was the second highest total among every midfielder at the tournament.

Sure, things do not always translate to senior football but there's a hugely exciting talent in there. Like Coutinho, he's got that magical ability to weave his way past opponents and he can create something out of nothing.

Martinez is not a talent for the now but in the future, expect him to dazzle at Anfield and evoke memories of their tricky Brazilian in the process.

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