Jude Bellingham has been a long-term transfer target for Liverpool but would he represent an upgrade on the midfielders currently at Jurgen Klopp's disposal? We've crunched the numbers to find out.
Bellingham has blossomed into one of the finest midfielders in Europe since moving from Birmingham to Borussia Dortmund in 2020. The 19-year-old is a mainstay of the Dortmund XI, competing in the Champions League on a regular basis, and forced his way into England's midfield for the 2022 World Cup.
After scoring his first international goal during the 6-2 thrashing of Iran, Bellingham has underlined his status and has a host of Europe's richest clubs fighting for his signature. The teenager looked one of the very best midfielders in the tournament throughout England's run to the quarter-finals.
“It's very rare you see a midfield player as comfortable in his own half as in the attacking half,” Gary Neville told ITV. “He looks like he can do absolutely everything. Is he a holding player, an attacking player? He's everything in one.
“Physically he's fantastic, so young but it's the composure, maturity and fearlessness I can't get my head around.
“I watched players play for England for many years, the weight of the shirt was enormous. He just doesn't feel it at all, he looks like he belongs out there, like he wants it and needs it in his life.”
Both Manchester clubs and Real Madrid are keen on signing Bellingham next summer but Liverpool have been the most strongly linked with the England international. The Reds are set to make Bellingham their main target for next summer as Klopp looks to overhaul the midfield with a blockbuster move, while Argentina's Enzo Fernandez is said to represent an alternative option.
But how do his 2022-23 stats compare to Liverpool's current set of midfielders? We've compared Bellingham's Bundesliga numbers with the corresponding Premier League digits of Liverpool's most-used midfielders to answer that very question…
Goals
Jude Bellingham – 3
Harvey Elliott – 1
Fabinho – 0
Jordan Henderson – 0
Curtis Jones – 0
Thiago Alcantara – 0
Assists
Jude Bellingham – 2
Harvey Elliott – 1
Fabinho – 0
Jordan Henderson – 0
Curtis Jones – 0
Thiago Alcantara – 0
Minutes per goal or assist
Jude Bellingham – 270.0
Harvey Elliott – 431.0
Fabinho – N/A
Jordan Henderson – N/A
Curtis Jones – N/A
Thiago Alcantara – N/A
Chances created per 90 minutes
Jordan Henderson – 1.5
Harvey Elliott – 1.4
Thiago Alcantara – 1.3
Curtis Jones – 1.1
Jude Bellingham – 1.0
Fabinho – 0.5
Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Jude Bellingham – 2.0 (46.5%)
Harvey Elliott – 1.3 (44.8%)
Curtis Jones – 1.1 (50%)
Thiago Alcantara – 0.8 (57.1%)
Jordan Henderson – 0.3 (33.3%)
Fabinho – 0.1 (33.3%)
Passes per 90 minutes (passing accuracy)
Thiago Alcantara – 78.3 (87%)
Jordan Henderson – 72.5 (82.6%)
Fabinho – 65.8 (88.1%)
Curtis Jones – 61.9 (88%)
Harvey Elliott – 52.1 (83.5%)
Jude Bellingham – 51.9 (82.5%)
Successful tackles per 90 minutes
Jude Bellingham – 3.2 (91.4%)
Thiago Alcantara – 3.2 (88.8%)
Fabinho – 2.4 (64.9%)
Curtis Jones – 2.1 (65.6%)
Jordan Henderson – 1.3 (81.3%)
Harvey Elliott – 1.0 (38.5%)
Shots per 90 minutes (inside penalty area)
Curtis Jones – 2.1 (1.6)
Jude Bellingham – 2.1 (1.1)
Harvey Elliott – 2.0 (1.1)
Jordan Henderson – 1.3 (0.3)
Thiago Alcantara – 0.6 (0)
Fabinho – 0.5 (0.4)
Tamson01
8
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