SM
Thursday, November 7
Upcoming predictions and previews

In profile: Emre Can

:Headline: In profile: Emre Can: ID:158572: from db_amp
Sports Mole takes a closer look at the attributes of probable new Liverpool signing Emre Can.

There is plenty of transfer business being discussed in the press even with a few days until the transfer window officially reopens. Chelsea are stealing much of the limelight with their pursuit of Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas, but Liverpool yesterday agreed a deal in principle to sign Emre Can from Bayer Leverkusen.

At only 20, Can is a prospect for the future who also has Champions League experience under his belt. With the fee thought to be around £10m should Liverpool sign him, it could be a very shrewd piece of business indeed. But who is Can, and what might he be able to bring to Brendan Rodgers's team?

One of the most important things to note is that Can has spent time in the Bayern Munich youth academy and was very highly rated by the club's coaches, which means that he possesses an excellent level of technical ability and a strong footballing brain.

When he was sold to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013, the deal included a buy-back clause, which could have seen him return to his old side should he impress. He did impress, but instead now looks set to join Liverpool as the Premier League club, who were thought to be tracking him for a while, have swooped.

What has made Can so highly rated in his homeland is firstly his ability with the ball at his feet, and secondly the versatility that became clear during last season with Bayer. Although his best position is in the centre of a midfield three, he showed that he can fill in at left-back as his side went through something of an injury crisis. He is not disciplined enough to be a regular in that position, but then Liverpool are not buying him to play there.

His passing and dribbling will be what has attracted him to the Reds. Last season Rodgers's side showed an aggressive attacking game, full of short, sharp passing and plenty of movement into space. When this was combined with the likes of Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling, who have the ability to take players on, not many sides were able to keep a clean sheet against them.

Can has a sharp turning circle, two strong feet - although he is naturally left-footed - and wants to be the midfield driving force even at his young age. There is definitely a gap in the midfield squad for such a player who can drop a shoulder to create space and then pick out an opponent with one angled ball. They have passers - Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen - but Can is a different, more direct option in the middle.

In the long-term, Can could very well be looked at as the replacement for captain Steven Gerrard in the middle. He has played in a deeper midfield position plenty of times throughout his career and has the positional sense to play there as well as the strength, but at this stage in his career his dribbling and pace on the break make him much more useful as a strictly attacking option. Liverpool's squad will certainly be better off for his presence.

amp_article__158572 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2014-06-07 10:13:11:
html db last update - 2014-06-07 10:13:11 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .