Does Ox experiment spell the end for Minamino?
In recent times, we’ve seen Ox being tried in the false 9 position, with mixed success. He scored in that position against Burnley after coming off the bench but at other times, has been less than impressive. What does this experiment mean for Minamino though?
After returning from a reasonably successful loan spell at Southampton, if Minamino was expecting to get minutes this season for us, I suspect he’ll have seen the false 9 as the most likely position for him in our system. Watching Ox being shoehorned into that position however, he must be fearful for his LFC future.
The rise of young Elliot, who possesses a lot of the same skill set as Taki, with arguably a much higher ceiling, must also make a player already firmly behind Mane, Salah, Firmino and Jota, question just where his minutes are going to come from.
If I’m being honest, probably a transfer would suit all parties best. Mini isn’t quick enough to play out wide for us and isn’t decisive enough when playing through the middle and at a team like Liverpool, you don’t have the luxury of being able to play your way into form over a run of games. It’s make a Jota style impact or you’re not going to play.
It may be that a transfer is on the cards. With reports Grealish is off to City and Villa reportedly making James Ward-Prowse their number one target, it’s likely armed with the Grealish money they’ll get that deal over the line, which may in turn prompt a permanent offer from Southampton for Mini.
Time will tell I suppose but I did often wonder if Taki was a business signing. Too good to ignore at the release clause he had, we’ve raised his profile and will now likely double our money on him. There’s always the hope that moving on Taki and Shaq might actually allow us to strengthen this window as well.
Whatever the next step in his career, I wish him well. Just slightly falls short of LFC standard though in my opinion.
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