‘Horrendous’ – Liverpool may have dodged bullet over 2022 target who journalist dubbed ‘so poor’
Dusan Vlahovic, who has been a reported transfer target for Liverpool in recent months, has been criticised by one journalist over his performances for Juventus.
The Serbia striker was linked with the Reds last December, with Calciomercatoweb claiming that Jurgen Klopp has been a staunch admirer of the 23-year-old and ‘is willing to do anything’ to bring him to Anfield.
However, following a chastening night in the Bianconeri’s 4-2 win over Sampdoria on Sunday, the forward has come in for a rather damning appraisal from Italian football reporter Jerry Mancini.
He tweeted (via @jmancini8): ‘Dusan Vlahovic is horrendous. He can’t hold the ball, looks for a foul every single play and his control is so poor. He can’t beat his man 1v1 and his shot is horrendous. Last season several thought he was better than Victor Osimhen. Well, not even close.’
Dusan Vlahovic is horrendous. He can’t hold the ball, looks for a foul every single play and his control is so poor.
He can’t beat his man 1v1 and his shot is horrendous. Last season several thought he was better than Victor Osimhen. Well, not even close.
Vlahovic pic.twitter.com/5qFdYmmTQc
— Jerry Mancini (@jmancini8) March 12, 2023
A return of 10 goals in 26 games this season is far from disgraceful, although he’s currently on a five-match drought in Serie A (Transfermarkt), and the Sampdoria game highlighted just how frustrating a player the Serbian can be.
As per Sofascore, he took eight shots last night but only one hit the target. He missed a penalty, hit the woodwork twice and missed two big chances, enduring the kind of game that every striker must dread.
Juventus would be entitled to expect a better hit rate from a player who cost them £66.6m from Fiorentina little more than a year ago (Sky Sports), and Liverpool might feel as if they dodged a bullet by not signing him despite their reported interest.
It’s not just Mancini’s stinging assessment and that galling performance against Sampdoria which could have FSG feeling grateful for not investing in him.
Such is the Reds’ abundance of options in attack that Vlahovic would’ve fit the category of ‘nice to have’ rather than ‘must have’, and other positions simply must take priority at Anfield in the next transfer window.
Our owners have come in for criticism for seemingly being too reluctant to loosen the purse strings, but in this case, they were quite right to hold fire.
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