Liverpool overcame a massive hurdle in dispatching Arsenal in the FA Cup last weekend, absorbing relentless waves of pressure before snatching victory with a late flurry to advance to the fourth round.
Jurgen Klopp must be delighted with his side, having put the disappointment of an abject 2022/23 campaign behind them with title-chasing success across all four fronts so far, emboldened by the influential summer changes to the midfield.
It hasn't been perfect, but then football rarely is and perched in first place in the Premier League after 20 matches is a tremendous accomplishment, now requiring focus to keep hold of such a position into the campaign's business end.
It's unlikely that Liverpool will do anything drastic on the transfer front this month, but that's not to say that preparations cannot be put in place for the summer.
Liverpool transfer news – Crysencio Summerville
According to a report from Anfield Watch last week, Liverpool are weighing up a transfer for creative Leeds United forward Crysencio Summerville at the end of the campaign.
The Dutch ace has been at the centre of Daniel Farke's side's promotion push in the Championship this season and his dynamic performances have not been missed by the Liverpool transfer team – who love a shrewd signing.
Summerville had a £20.5m buyout clause in his contract but this is no longer viable, with insider Dean Jones telling GIVEMESPORT earlier in the season that it may well take a bid of £25m or more to sell.
The 22-year-old's revived displays this season have indeed led to a glut of interest from numerous outfits, with Newcastle United also listed as suitors in a separate report.
Crysencio Summerville's style of play
Described as "unstoppable" by Statman Dave after one effective display this season, Summerville has posted 12 goals and six assists across 23 matches in the second tier throughout 2023/24, fluctuating between wide flanks but principally found on the left.
Utterly mesmerising at times, Summerville, aged 22, has been the all-encompassing forward thus far and really looks like he has what it takes to succeed at a team such as Liverpool, fighting for honours at the forefront of European football.
Matches played
23
Goals
12
Assists
6
Big chances created
12
Shots per game
3.0
Key passes per game
3.0
Pass completion %
85%
Dribbles per game
2.6 (57%)
Ground duels won
5.7 (52%)
Tackles per game
1.4
Recoveries per game
3.6
Signed from Dutch Eredivisie side Feyenoord for a paltry £1.5m as an 18-year-old in 2020, Summerville spent his first two years at Elland Road honing his craft with the youth ranks, and he started to earn his stripes within the senior set-up last term, scoring four goals and supplying two assists from 12 Premier League starts.
But with Leeds collapsing and headed for relegation, the burden perhaps came with too much weight and he failed to produce performances to match his skill set, leaving some, including JustJoe Football Show's Joe Wainman – questioning whether he should be shipped on before the anticipated summer rebuild.
The presenter said: "I may be wrong and this may come back to bite me, but whenever I’ve seen Summerville, he has not pulled up any trees. Okay, we might not have seen enough of him, you could argue."
Wrong he was, with Summerville now growing into his skin and tantalising a rich career at the top of the game; of course, he will need to prove himself in the top flight but is using Leeds' relegation as the perfect opportunity to sharpen his tools.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Championship over the past year for goals scored, the top 16% for assists, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 4% for progressive carries and the top 10% for successful take-ons per 90.
Emphasising his quality as a protean attacking threat, Summerville indeed has so many angles from which to inflict damage on opposition defences and he could be the perfect addition to Liverpool, augmenting a formidable frontline while not upsetting the equilibrium, developing rising to the fore and perhaps even bringing the best out of Cody Gakpo.
How Summerville & Gakpo fit into the same team
Liverpool signed Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven for an initial £35m one year ago after the Netherlands international caught the eye at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring in all three of his nation's group games and helping them to the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Argentina on penalties.
And while he's been good, contributing effectively and proving invaluable with his versatility, this has hindered him somewhat and there is a sense that the natural centre-forward needs a run of games in his favoured role up front to truly grow into his skin.
With his countryman brought in to bolster the ranks, the £120k-per-week star could finally start producing the kind of rounded displays that are well within his grasp.
Ranking within the top 20% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, pass completion, progressive passes, progressive carries, successful take-ons, tackles, interceptions and blocks per 90, it's clear that Liverpool wields a multi-edged weapon, and perhaps a partnership with a player such as Summerville would elevate his deadliness in decisive phases.
Indeed, with Summerville's immense creativity and penetrative presence down the left channel, he could provide Gakpo with the supplementation he needs to flourish, having demonstrated his clinical ability with eight goals across all competitions for the Reds this season.
Liverpool's star left winger Luis Diaz is an incredibly talented player but only boasts a single assist all campaign so far and averages 1.2 key passes per game in the English top-flight – which is certainly not a poor figure but emphasises that his best talents lie in his directness and fleet-footed ability to stretch defences.
With Summerville signed, Liverpool could complete their attack and flaunt a myriad of tools to wreak devastation from every angle.
