Diego Gomez: The Missing Midfield Piece for Liverpool
The opening weeks of the 2026/27 season have stripped away any illusions at Anfield. This Liverpool side is promising, occasionally exhilarating, but clearly unfinished.
Andoni Iraola has injected energy and intent into the club, and some of his early calls already look inspired. Jeremy Jacquet has slipped into Liverpool’s defence as if he has been there for years, reading danger early, stepping into duels with authority, and giving the back line a calm, modern edge.
Up front, Alexander Isak finally resembles the £125 million forward Liverpool thought they were buying. His movement is sharper, his finishing more ruthless, his confidence obvious. Bradley Barcola, too, is beginning to find his place in Iraola’s structure, offering width, direct running and flashes of the talent that persuaded Liverpool to bring him in.
And yet, the whole picture still feels lopsided. The team doesn’t quite knit together. The pressing triggers aren’t always backed up by the right bodies, the transitions don’t always have the legs to sustain them. Iraola’s system demands a certain type of midfielder: aggressive, athletic, relentless. Liverpool don’t have enough of that profile.
Which is why their stance on Diego Gomez looks like a serious misstep.
Brighton’s Engine, United’s Target
Brighton have surged out of the blocks under Fabian Hurzeler, not just as a plucky overachiever but as a side that looks ready to plant itself firmly in the top-four conversation. Their football is coordinated, brave and intense, and at the heart of it sits Gomez.
The Paraguayan has become one of the most talked-about players in the league, his reputation supercharged by that outrageous goal from the halfway line against Crystal Palace. That strike went viral, but it only told a fraction of the story. Gomez is the embodiment of Hurzeler’s blueprint on the south coast: non-stop running, intelligent pressing, and a constant willingness to join both phases of play.
He doesn’t just chase. He drives games.
You would expect a player like that to be near the top of Liverpool’s list. Yet the latest indications point elsewhere. According to Hooligan Soccer, Manchester United are currently the “sole serious and determined candidate” to sign Gomez in January, with Arsenal and Atletico Madrid watching closely but not leading the race.
Liverpool? Nowhere to be seen.
A Player Built for Iraola
That absence is baffling when you consider the fit.
Iraola’s football lives off high energy and aggression without the ball. He wants midfielders who can spring forward to press, then recover 30 yards in a heartbeat. Gomez ticks those boxes. His athleticism allows him to cover huge spaces, his stamina keeps him involved deep into games, and his mentality suits a side that wants to suffocate opponents.
There’s more. Gomez offers genuine two-way value. He can step into attacking zones, link play and threaten from distance, while still dropping back to shield the defence and scrap for second balls. For a manager who values versatility and intensity, he looks almost purpose-built.
Reports suggest a fee in the region of €50–60 million (around £40–50 million) could be enough to prise him away in January. In a market where elite, press-resistant, high-energy midfielders often cost far more, that price point feels like an opportunity rather than a gamble.
For Liverpool to sit out that race, while a direct rival like United pushes to the front of the queue, borders on negligent squad planning.
The Utility Piece Liverpool Don’t Have
Beyond style, there is the question of roles. Gomez can cover multiple positions across midfield. He can operate as a box-to-box runner, drop deeper to help build play, or push higher to support the press. In a long season, with injuries, fixture congestion and tactical tweaks, that kind of flexibility becomes invaluable.
Liverpool’s current squad has quality, but not enough of that malleable, high-octane profile. Too often in recent years, the team has looked one injury away from losing its structure in the middle of the pitch. Under Iraola, the risk is even greater, because his demands are unforgiving. If the legs go, the system collapses.
Gomez looks like the kind of player who holds it together.
Julian Ward, overseeing the club’s recruitment, knows the value of identifying this type of midfielder early, before the market explodes. He will also be acutely aware of what it means to allow a player so perfectly suited to Liverpool’s needs to walk into Old Trafford instead.
Liverpool want to climb back to the summit of English football. The foundations under Iraola are there: a refreshed defence, a marquee striker finding form, wide players settling in. What they lack is that snarling, all-action presence in midfield who can turn a promising system into a ruthless one.
Diego Gomez looks exactly that. The question now is whether Liverpool realise it before Manchester United close the deal.
