It might seem odd to begin analyzing Liverpool by talking about a player from a rival club, but it should all become clear soon. Last season, Manchester City played four Premier League matches without Rodri, losing three of them.

In the 34 games they played with their Spanish midfielder, they didn’t lose a single one. The stats suggest that if Rodri had missed just one more game, Pep Guardiola’s team might have dropped the two points that ultimately separated them from Arsenal in the race for the title.

Simply put, a top-class holding midfielder can be the difference between a team being serious contenders or falling short. Rodri is the perfect case in point, but you can also look at his predecessor Fernandinho or N’Golo Kante at Leicester and Chelsea. Fabinho was equally critical when Liverpool won the title.

This naturally leads us to Liverpool and whether Arne Slot’s squad can challenge Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League this season. Could missing out on their top target, Martin Zubimendi, be the difference between finishing third again and winning the league?

In the ever-changing world of transfer sagas—especially in today’s social media-driven, hour-by-hour update culture—a lot can happen in a week. On Monday, it emerged that Spanish European Championship winner Martin Zubimendi had decided to remain at Real Sociedad, just days after Liverpool thought they had secured his verbal agreement to join them.

It is far too simplistic to suggest that the title race will come down to just that issue alone. Liverpool’s chief problem as they stuttered on the final straight of the title race last term was more down to a lack of clinicality in attack as they dropped points in six of the final 11 games.

It is now unlikely that Liverpool move on to alternative targets in the holding midfield department. They are being opportunistic in the market and only signing players that will definitely improve the team.

Ultimately, they lost out to a convincing charm offensive led by Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil. Mail Sport was told the boss had multiple meetings with Zubimendi that tugged on his heartstrings and centred around the quality of his life in San Sebastian.

Zubimendi, a keen hiker, was told about his perfect life in the shadows of the Ulia Mountain range and how he would miss Basque eateries. He was also reminded of an interview he gave to Spanish TV after the Euros where he promised to stay at La Real.

The recruitment method has been lauded in recent years and a book by former transfer guru Ian Graham is to be released this week packed with secrets about why that was so successful. It is sensible when it works but when it does not, like this summer, fans have called it reckless.

Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch – who are fighting to play alongside Alexis Mac Allister in the heart of midfield – have shown promise and could thrive under Slot’s coaching. But they are not at the same level as Rodri or Declan Rice at the competitors.