Martin Zubimendi ‘kicking himself’ over Liverpool snub as Slot turns heat on signing classy alternative

Martin Zubimendi will be ‘kicking himself’ over his decision to reject a move to Liverpool, with a swoop for Feyenoord’s Quinten Timber now under consideration and with the form of one Reds player now forcing Arne Slot into a rethink.

The Merseysiders came within a whisker of making Euro 2024 winner Zubimendi the first signing of their new era at Anfield, having agreed to meet the £50.5m (€60m, $67.1m) asking price in his Real Sociedad contract. And while they also agreed personal terms to bring the player to the Premier League, the midfielder pulled the plug on a transfer to Liverpool at the last minute, deciding to instead remain with his hometown club.

Since then, though, the two sides have endured contrasting fortunes, with Liverpool having won six of their seven games this season, scoring 18 goals in the process and conceding just three, while Sociedad are languishing down in 16th place, with just one LaLiga win to their name so far and having sold a number of their other star players.

Now it’s claimed Zubimendi regrets his decision to reject a move, with former Reds defender Glen Johnson rubbing salt into his wounds.

“You can respect his decision to remain loyal to his club because it’s hard to turn Liverpool down when they come knocking,” Johnson said.

“Everybody would like the play for them, so I’m surprised he turned the move down in the first place. If he’s reportedly regretting the decision now, then I can totally understand that, especially when you consider that Real Sociedad are struggling this season in La Liga.

“He’ll be kicking himself knowing that he could have been challenging for the Premier League title, but instead he finds himself fighting relegation in La Liga.”

READ MORE ➡️ Liverpool still keen to push through Zubimendi signing as Fabrizio Romano rates Slot chances

Slot opens up on Zubimendi miss and why Liverpool want Timber instead

While Fabrizio Romano believes the Reds will continue to monitor Zubimendi over the coming months, Slot himself has admitted Liverpool have “moved on” from the Spain star, with the form of Ryan Gravenberch seemingly forcing a rethink.

“If you’ve noticed it is not that much of one holding midfielder, it is a bit more two,” Slot said last week when analysing how he has set up his Liverpool side this season.

“And one of those two can be a bit more attacking and I think the player you mentioned [Zubimendi] could have fitted in one of those two roles and Ryan [Gravenberch] can fit in both roles like Curtis [Jones] can, [Alexis] Mac Allister can and Wataru [Endo] can.

“There is no point talking about Zubimendi anymore because he stayed with Real Sociedad and we’ve moved on and we are really happy with Ryan.”

Gravenberch’s form has also forced Slot into wholesome praise of his countryman.

“You see a Ryan who is full of confidence and that comes normally with good performances and trusting your teammates and knowing that you can do what you have to at that level,” Slot stated.

“I wouldn’t say I am surprised because he’s Dutch, I’m Dutch….I’ve seen him a lot.

“Everybody saw back then what a special talent he was and probably for that reason he went to two amazing clubs, Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

“You can only go to these clubs if they see you have a lot of quality. Then it is up to us to make sure we get the best out of him..”

With Graveberch in such rich form, we understand Liverpool will instead look to sign Timber in January, with the Feyenoord star coming with a cheaper price tag given his deal at De Kuip has under two years to run.

He is also seen as someone who covers a number of a couple of different positions in the squad and a player who can dovetail with Gravenberch if needed.

Liverpool linked with stunning Rodrygo move / Bayern star linked again

In terms of alternative options, Liverpool have seemingly been left as the sole suitors to sign Bayern Munich’s experienced star Joshua Kimmich on a pre-contract agreement after PSG withdrew their interest and with his deal at the Allianz Arena currently due to expire at the end of the current campaign.

Elsewhere, Liverpool have reportedly been presented with an open door to sign Real Madrid star Rodrygo, though have been warned they will have to shatter their transfer record if they want to prise him from the Bernabeu.

With competition for places at Los Blancos fiercer than ever after the signing of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick over the summer, reports in Spain claim Rodrygo could be the man to make way as president Florentino Perez looks to generate transfer funds to rebuild his defence in 2025.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have been given a lift in their plans to tie Luis Diaz down to a new contract, with the Colombian’s thoughts on a new deal made clear to TEAMtalk.

How does Zubimendi compare to Timber?

Considering their league involvement last season, Zubimendi was the better passer and interceptor, but Timber was more efficient with goal contributions and tackles.

It must be stressed that the league Zubimendi plays in is deemed as tougher than the one Timber operates in, and while both of their clubs are among the better ones in their leagues, the expectations on Timber’s side are comparatively greater.