Joe Cole has told ITV (broadcast on 6/12; 17:59) that Liverpool target Sofyan Amrabat has been the best holding midfielder at the World Cup following his performance for Morocco against Spain.
The North African side are through to the last eight after a stunning display against Luis Enrique’s men. Morocco won on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.
Achraf Hakimi will take many of the headlines after his audacious Panenka penalty which sent his country through to the quarter-final. But Amrabat produced a colossal performance in the middle of the park.
Amrabat the best holding midfielder at the World Cup
No player on either side won more tackles than the 26-year-old, according to Whoscored. And after Morocco knocked the 2010 champions out of the competition, Cole suggested that he was amazed by his performance against La Roja.
“Amrabat, outstanding. As good a holding midfielder as we’ve seen at the tournament, in terms of defensive instinct,” he told ITV.
His performance will certainly have not gone unnoticed amongst some in the Premier League.
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Fabrizio Romano suggested in January that Amrabat was determined to join Tottenham. And it has recently been claimed that Spurs are back in the race to sign the Fiorentina star.
But they are not alone. Reports have recently suggested Liverpool want him too.
The Reds certainly need to strengthen in the middle of the park. Their midfield has been a problem for Jurgen Klopp in recent times. And the summer addition of Arthur Melo is yet to pay off.
Of course, Liverpool will be wary of reading too much into any player’s performance at the World Cup. It is always the case that some enjoy the best spells on their careers on the biggest stage before never reaching those heights again.
But Amrabat has been outstanding for Fiorentina this term. So his displays for his country have certainly not come from nowhere.