Why Liverpool should reignite their interest in Munas Dabbur
Back in December last year, a report from MSN claimed that Liverpool were interested in signing Israeli international striker Munas Dabbur, then of Red Bull Salzburg.
Liverpool’s interest in the 27-year-old last season came at a time when Dabbur was firing on all cylinders for the Austrian heavyweights but a move to Anfield eventually failed to materialize for the Nazareth-born striker.
Dabbur went on to propel Salzburg to the Austrian Bundesliga title and also to the last 16 in the Europa League, registering a personal best tally of 37 goals in the 2018-19 season before earning a move to La Liga giants Sevilla in the summer transfer window.
The Israeli international capped off a trophy-laden spell in Austria with an eye-watering tally of 72 goals and 31 assists in 128 appearances for RB Salzburg in all competitions. As a matter of fact, Dabbur’s exploits weren’t only limited to the domestic front in Austria, with a sizeable chunk of his goals coming in the club’s European campaigns.
Dabbur was one of the key architects of RB Salzburg’s fairytale run to the semi-finals of the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League and followed it up with an envious tally of 8 goals in the competition the last term, as the club made it to the Round-of-16.
However, the 27-year-old’s career has been in a complete freefall since the end of the last season. Dabbur would have relished the chance to prove his credentials in the La Liga following his summer switch to Sevilla but the Israeli goal-machine is yet to make his professional bow in Spain.
Sevilla are currently atop the standings in the La Liga under new manager Julen Lopetegui but the presence of Luuk de Jong and Javier Hernandez, who departed West Ham before the deadline, has severely affected Dabbur’s playtime.
Not only that, but Lopetegui doesn’t seem to have much confidence in the striker, with the 27-year-old even failing to make the matchday squads, despite training regularly with the team.
To put things into perspective, it might be an unfamiliar opinion but Liverpool could do themselves a world of good by going back in the market for Munas Dabbur.
The Israeli international carved out a reputation for himself as a bonafide goalscorer in European competitions during his time at Salzburg and the Reds could add some quality depth to their attacking options by revisiting their interest in him, with Dabbur apparently unwanted at Sevilla.
The Reds, of course, have some of the most devastating attackers in Europe in their ranks but Jurgen Klopp needs to manage the workload of Salah, Mane and Firmino effectively.
The German is likely to find it difficult to rotate his squad on all fronts now that useful back-ups like Daniel Sturridge and Dominic Solanke are out of the picture and, while Divock Origi seems to have a future at Anfield, the Reds should be wise enough to know that Dabbur can add that clinical edge to Liverpool’s attack with his abilities as a natural finisher in front of goal.
Prior to his move to Sevilla, Dabbur had been amongst the most prolific strikers outside the top-five elite leagues in Europe and at 27, a move to Liverpool could be a dream come true for him, particularly with his stint at Sevilla looking destined to end in failure.
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The Israeli international presents a cheap, affordable yet a quality option for Liverpool in front of goal and one who could offer a lot of value for money in the transfer window.