- Liverpool are reportedly interested in Caleb Yirenkyi.
- Anfield Watch reports that the club tried to sign the Ghanaian youngster in the January window and will be following his performances very closely in the upcoming months.
- But just who is the Ghanaian international and why do Liverpool want to sign him?
Yirenkyi plays for FC Nordsjaelland and he only turned 20-years-old last month but already has over 40 appearances for the Danish club that has an impressive track-record of producing elite talent who have gone onto do well in Europe’s top five leagues.
The young midfielder is the latest talent who came through the Right to Dream Academy, which is one of the leading institutions of its kind in Africa.
Nordsjaelland will be looking to sell him for a club record fee and Liverpool are not the only side interested in him. Brighton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are all looking at the youngster.
But Liverpool might be the most ideal fit for Yirenkyi. The club are in search of a versatile midfielder and he fits the bill.
At Nordsjaelland and at international level for Ghana, he has played in multiple roles.
Nordsjaelland typically play with a midfield three. In this system, Yirenkyi has been deployed both as the right-sided midfielder in a more box-to-box or no.8 role as well as the deepest midfielder as more of a holding player.
For a bit of context, it’s also important to understand that Nordsjaelland play with a lot of intensity and like to press high up the pitch. They are also a quick and incisive team in possession and Yirenkyi perfectly suits their style of play.
First of all, what stands out about him the most is his footballing IQ and technical ability. Yirenkyi makes a lot of smart decisions on the ball.
He completes 92.3% of his 61 passes per 90 minutes in the Danish Superliga. He also averages 7.5 passes into the final third, and 1.33 passes into the opposition’s penalty area. Both are a decent volume, so he’s not making safe and simple passes.
What stands out about Yirenkyi when you watch him play is that when his team is on the ball and he’s not in possession, he’s constantly scanning.
Watch him play and he’s head moves like an owl as he assess the picture and play around him. That’s the sign of a high IQ player, and it’s why he also does really well under pressure.
When Yirenkyi gets the ball, he has usually already made a split-second decision with the knowledge of what’s around him, and he is able to beat the press with either a pass or a clever piece of movement.
This is exactly the kind of trait you want your midfielder to have.
But that is not all there is to know about Yirenkyi.
It’s also important to note his ability out of possession. As we mentioned above Nordjaelland play high intensity football. They like to press the opposition in their own final third and Yirenkyi is an ideal player to have in this system.
He reads the game well, and he’s capable of covering a lot of distances. He’s got the athletic ability to frequently get to loose balls first and win his ground duels.
Impressively, he makes around 4.5 recoveries in the opposition’s half in the Danish Superliga. This season, he has won the most possession in the opposition’s final third (22) and the most recoveries (125) among midfielders in the Danish Superliga.
The numbers are very impressive and reflect the eye test. On paper, Yirenkyi seems like the ideal player for Liverpool.
Source: anfieldwatch.co.uk
