‘He would suit Liverpool…’ – PL-winning defender claims £85m star would be perfect for Iraola

Premier League-winning defender Robert Huth has named one midfielder who he believes would be an ideal fit for Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool side.

The Reds’ squad has been tweaked with additions to the defence (Jeremy Jacquet) and forward line (Victor Munoz) ahead of the Spaniard’s first season as our head coach, although no new signings have been made in the middle of the park as of yet.

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Reports surfaced in June of rumoured interest from Anfield in Felix Nmecha, with LFC and both Manchester clubs understood to have made contact over a potential swoop for the 25-year-old.

Huth believes Nmecha would suit Liverpool

Speaking exclusively to Empire of the Kop (via WhoScored), Huth – who won the Premier League with Leicester 10 years ago – cited his belief that the Borussia Dortmund midfielder would suit Iraola’s Liverpool because of his high-pressing qualities which were in evidence at the World Cup.

The 41-year-old said: “Felix Nmecha was one of the players that kind of stood out in the Germany team. He performed well; he kept winning the ball. I think he would suit Liverpool with Iraola as manager.

“I know how he likes the fast-flowing football, the quick turnaround, winning the ball high. Nmecha’s been doing that in the World Cup, so whether they go for it or not, who knows, but he certainly’s got a good ability.”

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

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The stats support Huth’s verdict

Nmecha has an €80m (£68.2m) release clause which becomes active next year, although Dortmund might be open to offers of around €100m (£85.3m) for the midfielder this summer (Sport Bild, via Bulinews).

It’s apparent that the Germany international won’t come cheap if Liverpool are to try and sign him, although his statistics from the 2025/26 campaign support Huth’s theory about his penchant for winning the ball high up the pitch.

He averaged 4.49 ball recoveries and won possession in the final third 0.49 per Bundesliga match last season, placing in the 71st percentile among positional peers for the latter statistic (Fotmob).

Although his nation had another hugely disappointing World Cup, Nmecha came away as one of Germany’s best performers with his work off the ball, as evidenced by the figures below from Fotmob.

He isn’t a natural no.6, but the 25-year-old could give Liverpool added steel in the middle of the park if they were to land him from Dortmund, thus potentially freeing up the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister to exert greater influence further up the pitch.

Let’s see if the Anfield hierarchy demonstrably agree with Huth’s verdict on his compatriot.