Arne Slot’s Liverpool project is built atop the foundation paved by Jurgen Klopp in his last hurrah.
That’s not to say that the Dutch tactician has been riding on his predecessor’s coattails; far from it. Slot has taken a talented Liverpool side and shaped it toward his vision.
He’s done it with aplomb. The Reds are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League and await Newcastle United in next month’s Carabao Cup final. They have been drawn against Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League’s last 16 too.
And all this having barely touched the transfer market. In fact, Federico Chiesa from Juventus for £12.5m stands as the only first-team addition since the summer 2023 market. Giorgi Mamardashvili signed last summer but has stayed with Valencia on loan.
Much of this boils down to Liverpool’s midfield rebuild. Klopp’s last hurrah, he pieced a malfunctioned engine room back together, with FSG opting for several parts instead of the attractive option named Jude Bellingham.
When Liverpool missed out on Jude Bellingham
There was a point, about two years ago, when Liverpool held onto hopes of bringing Bellingham to Anfield. Spanish sources revealed in December 2022 that Real Madrid were the favourites but that Liverpool held the financial advantage. Fans waited with bated breath.
Bellingham signed for Los Blancos in a deal worth £115m, leaving Borussia Dortmund having established himself as one of the brightest young talents in the business.
Toward the end of the 2023/24 season, Joleon Lescott claimed that the robust midfielder is “the best player in the world.” Whether this is actually true is open to question, but there’s no doubt that Bellingham is in the world-class bracket.
He has lifted La Liga and Champions League titles and has racked up 57 goal contributions from 77 matches. According to CIES Football Observatory’s player valuation model, Bellingham is currently valued at £225m, making him the second-most valuable player in the world, behind only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland at £244m.
Carlo Ancelotti has described Bellingham as “a gift for football” but Liverpool ultimately hit the jackpot in investing in the aggregate. Had the Three Lions superstar been signed and resources have been exhausted, it’s unlikely that Liverpool’s midfield, maybe still comprised of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, would be serving up a title challenge.
Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch are title-chasing Liverpool’s main options, while Wataru Endo surprised a few in helping Klopp’s team toward a resurgent 2023/24 campaign, winning the Carabao Cup too.
However, there’s another Reds midfielder who’s proving himself to be an unsung hero in Slot’s midfield, and he cost absolutely nothing.
Arne Slot's unsung hero at Liverpool
Curtis Jones has always been just outside the limelight.
A dynamic midfielder with a technical gift and selfless intelligence, he’s been a valuable asset to the Merseysiders since emerging from the academy.
His introductory goal against Everton in the 2020 FA Cup third round when he was only 18 to seal passage to the next phase illustrated the latest Merseyside sensation to come through the gates.
His ball-playing style aligns neatly with Slot’s own footballing ideology, but injuries and suspensions have kept him from nailing down a regular starting berth.
In fact, the regularity of suspension and fitness blows across his senior career so far might have proved detrimental to many up-and-comers, but his determination and self-belief have instead seen him go from strength to strength.
Below, you will see how Jones’ technical qualities have been shifted to accommodate Slot’s more control-focused system. This, for sure, serves as an accurate barometer of the nuanced tweaks away from Klopp’s set-up.
Goals
0.08
0.26
Assists
0.08
0.26
Shot-creating actions
2.78
2.33
Touches
70.57
62.96
Pass completion
91.1%
93.9%
Passes attempted
59.85
52.36
Progressive passes
5.71
5.43
Progressive carries
2.39
1.12
Successful take-ons
1.16
0.78
Ball recoveries
5.55
4.39
Tackles + interceptions
2.62
2.41
Under Slot’s wing, Jones is effectively moving around less, touching less of the ball while maintaining his expertise in playing the ball. Speaking warmly of his midfielder in November, the Dutch coach hailed his all-round ability: “He has an incredibly hard work rate and we trust him in defence. He is complete. For him now, it is all about consistency.”
Praised for his “truly special” style of play by one analyst, Jones’ knack for impressing across the different central roles serves as another string to the bow. As per Transfermarkt, he has featured 14 times in an advanced role this year, 11 dead in the centre and has played four matches in a deeper-sat position, making long stroking passes to build the fluency of Slot’s team.
His glue-like quality allows those around him to flourish, and brings the best out of them. In fact, he might even have some intriguing similarities to the aforementioned Bellingham, with FBref recording the Real Madrid Galactico as Jones’ most comparable midfielder when crunching numbers across the past 365 days.
Bellingham ranks among the top 2% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals and assists, the top 17% for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for touches, and the top 6% for tackles and interceptions made per 90, as per FBref.
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
He’s the footballing paragon of midfield completeness, transcending the position and becoming a unique talent unto himself. Jones, we have to admit, isn’t operating at the same level, but he does carry a stylistic semblance and this is a treat for a Reds side blessed with such dynamic and balanced midfield proportions.
The Sky Sports pundits see something Bellingham-esque in Jones’ skill set, with Jamie Carragher remarking that he has “a bit of everything” in his game.
Indeed, Jones needs to keep his head down and prove himself worthy among his fellow midfielders. According to Football Transfers, the England international’s transfer value has skyrocketed from about £15m to £44m in just a matter of months, perfectly illustrating his progress under new Liverpool management.
Bellingham’s a showman, yes, but he’s also a warrior and a thoroughbred workhorse. Jones doesn’t quite encapsulate the same sweeping gamut, but he’s a top player in his own right, and so undervalued within this title-charging Liverpool team.
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