Liverpool had several compelling reasons to sign midfielder Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton.
Naturally, Jürgen Klopp was pushing for the move, but as per The Athletic’s James Pearce, the data was highly encouraging and the character references were ‘glowing’ too.
Beyond that, Mac Allister was proven on the Premier League and World Cup stage while still only being 24, and was fluent in English, unlike last summer’s marquee signing Darwin Núñez, who struggled with the language barrier.
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Still, there’s a chance none of that would have mattered if Mac Allister possessed a worrying injury record. Thankfully, there was virtually nothing to report on the medical front.
Mac Allister has only missed four games through injury across three and a half years at Brighton, which is a very different record than what the Reds are used to.
Liverpool had nine midfielders on its books last season, or 10 if you count Stefan Bajčetić, who broke through midway through the campaign.
However, only four of them — Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Harvey Elliott and Thiago — played more than 1,300 minutes, which equates to less than 15 full matches.
That was largely because of extensive injury problems. Naby Keïta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Arthur and indeed Thiago all missed significant periods.
Ill health has been a consistent theme in the Reds’ midfield ranks for a number of years now. Over the last three seasons, where Mac Allister has been sidelined for just four games, all nine of the Liverpool midfielders have missed at least 15 games, and five have missed at more than 30.
Games missed through injury, 2020/21 to 2022/23:
| Player | Absences |
| Naby Keïta | 74 |
| Thiago | 66 |
| Arthur | 49 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | 34 |
| Harvey Elliott | 30 |
| Jordan Henderson | 23 |
| Curtis Jones | 21 |
| James Milner | 17 |
| Fábio Carvalho | 15 |
When you switch emphasis to minutes played, the contrast is even sharper. Mac Allister logged 3,308 in total last season, starting 31 Premier League games and appearing in four more as a substitute in addition to his five FA Cup appearances.
Between them, Keïta (486), Oxlade-Chamberlain (491) and Arthur (13), all of whom have now left, only managed 973 last season. That means Mac Allister alone played nearly three and a half times as much football.
Yes, he was higher up the pecking order at Brighton, but even in their stronger seasons Keïta and Oxlade-Chamberlain have never got close to 3,000.
The former has only once surpassed 2,000 (when he registered 2,087 in his debut year), while the latter’s best effort was 2,404 in 2017/18.
All of this demonstrates that, by signing Mac Allister, Liverpool has in a sense replaced three players in one.
Of course, Liverpool’s coaches and medical department will have to manage Mac Allister properly to maintain his excellent his fitness record, but there’s definite cause for optimism.
This move hopefully points to a consistent emphasis on durability in the Reds’ midfield recruitment this season. Liverpool may end up with fewer numbers of midfielders next season, but the total number of games that first-choices options like Mac Allister can play will shoot up.