ESPN pundit thinks Jude Bellingham would be a bad fit at Liverpool

By Shamanth Jayaram

Steve Nicol has suggested that Jude Bellingham is not the player Liverpool should be targeting in 2023.

It is no surprise at all at this point that Jurgen Klopp’s side are looking for a new central midfielder, and Bellingham has been on their wish list for a long, long time now.

Almost every Liverpool fan would love the young Englishman at Anfield, but Nicol feels his style of play does not suit the Reds at all.

ESPN pundit thinks Jude Bellingham would be a bad fit at Liverpool

Liverpool’s terrible start to this season is a real shock. Everybody expected them to challenge Manchester City for the title again, but they just haven’t been able to get going in the Premier League.

Many feel the big issue is their midfield, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner all coming under criticism at some point this campaign.

As a result, Liverpool have been tipped to go all out on a new midfielder in 2023, and Bellingham is the one name that’s in almost every Reds fan’s mouth. Nicol, however, just can’t understand why.

The pundit said on ESPN FC: “Bellingham, obviously, was incredible. But you wonder, the way he plays the game, does that suit Liverpool at their best?

“Liverpool at their best under Klopp, I’ve said this a lot, have three guys in the middle of the park who just work and work. Albeit they’re talented players, their job is to get the ball to the front three.

“That’s not Bellingham’s game. Would that take away from Liverpool (if they signed him)?”

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Nicol does have a point here.

When Liverpool won the Champions League and Premier League in back-to-back seasons, their midfield was Henderson, Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum. All three of them worked incredibly hard for the team, and their efforts helped the front three deliver every week.

Bellingham, branded as an ‘unbelievable’ player by Jordan Pickford, is a bit more adventurous than all of those players, but that just can’t be a reason to not sign him.

Liverpool are adapting to life with Darwin Nunez – a completely different kind of striker to what Klopp has previously had at Anfield. They can do the same with Bellingham, who could really take the club to the next level if he’s used in a role that suits him.