Southampton defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia is the subject of a transfer tussle between two English heavyweights, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Despite playing in a poor Southampton side, he was one of the few standout players in a season which saw the club lose its 11-year-old Premier League status.
According to Whoscored, of all U21 players who made at least 20 Premier League appearances last season, he ranked 1st for tackles, interceptions and shots blocked while he ranked 3rd for clearancesand key passes while he had the second-best rating of all U21 players.
The above stats show why he is being courted by the Reds and the Gunners but where does he fit best at the moment?
The London-based club finished in second place in the Premier League last season and should be a challenger for the Premier League title last season.
Thomas Partey was the club’s deepest-playing/defensive midfielder last season and was one of their best players.
While the Ghanaian has been linked with a move away from the club, it won’t be surprising if he remains at the Emirates beyond this summer.
If Lavia moves to the Red side of London, he will have to slug it out with the more experienced and proven Partey which makes his chances of nailing a place in the starting XI difficult.
More so, if Rice completes his move to the 13-time English league winners, he will also have another more proven player to contend with.
At Liverpool, the case is slightly different because of the Reds’ struggles last season, a major cause of which was their ageing and tiring midfield.
Fabinho Tanavares is Jurgen Klopp’s best defensive midfielder at the moment but he was horrible last season which has cast doubt on his ability to continue playing regularly in the Premier League.
While the young Stefan Bajcetic, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara can also play in that position, none can be trusted.
This is why Lavia stands a better chance of playing more regularly in Liverpool than Arsenal.
While it is true that Arteta’s side are in better shape at the moment than the 5-time UCL winners and they stand a better chance of winning trophies based on the evidence of the last season.
The Red side of Merseyside finished the season stronger than Arsenal and should be back to their brilliant best next season after a brilliant transfer window.
Therefore, the young Belgian should prioritise a move to Liverpool over Arsenal as he stands a better chance of getting more game time without compromising his chances of winning titles.
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