Jamal Musiala has had a very successful career thus far, and that is an understatement.
He has won the Champions League and the Bundesliga four times already by the age of 20, and at the age of 19, he was selected as the Germany National Team Player of the Year for 2022.
Being second to Jude Bellingham in this year’s Golden Boy award, which was won by then-Liverpool star Raheem Sterling in 2014, is nothing to be ashamed of because he is widely recognised as one of the best young players in the world of football.
Musiala’s professional life is flourishing.
His floor and his current position make him one of the top teams in the world, if not the best. He was the one who, on the final day of the previous campaign, scored the goal that gave Bavaria the championship with an amazing display of close control and an even more amazing daisy-cutting finish from outside the box.
As corny as that may seem, his ceiling is whatever he wants it to be.
But it’s still unclear where that ceiling will be. He seemed to be in the ideal circumstance for a young German. Despite the criticism the Bundesliga faces, Bayern Munich is one of the top football clubs in the world. They virtually always provide trophies and a real opportunity to hoist the Champions League trophy in May.
However, his future has come under scrutiny lately. According to reports in Germany, the former Chelsea junior player’s contract negotiations with his present club have apparently halted. Liverpool is one of the clubs that has long had an interest in him.
It will require a rather outrageous (and by outrageous we’re likely talking club record breaking) sum to lure the Stuttgart-born midfielder to Merseyside because his contract doesn’t expire until 2026. But if they were able to sign him, they would have the chance to bring in a true superstar before he even approaches his ‘peak years’.
Talent is one thing, but if a player’s personal and tactical fit with the club they are transferring to doesn’t match, that move is likely to end in tears. What would Musiala have to offer Liverpool then? What’s more, how would he fit into Klopp’s team?
MAN OF CONFIDENCE
When observing Musiala, the first thing that comes to mind is the confidence he exudes in everything he does. In spite of his youth, he had already logged more than 6,800 minutes with Bayern, starting 36 games the previous year.
He can drive the ball forward and take on players. He then consistently chooses the right shot and pass, as well as the right time to release the ball. I may be biassed because this is what I personally enjoy most about watching him play, but this is what makes him stand out.
Later, we’ll talk more about his position, but Musiala frequently descends deep into the centre of the field to collect the ball while yelling for it from his teammates. He will then continue driving after that. Despite the fact that his dribbling technique may not be the cleanest, it is a lot of fun to watch. Musiala isn’t very tall, but at six feet, he isn’t exactly short either. On the court, though, his lean build gives him a rather lanky appearance. He frequently appears awkward and uncoordinated, but he always manages to elude his opponent by sticking out a limb just in time to trick them into thinking that they have the ball in their possession.
He attempts 7.09 take-ons per 90 and wins 3.9 of them, placing him in the 99th percentile for both midfielders and offensive midfielders/wingers.
This was clearly demonstrated in his assist against Manchester United earlier in the season. He picked up the ball facing his own goal, turned, outwitted four defenders (using some of his sloppy but efficient dribbling), and made the right pass to Serge Gnabry, who scored a simple goal to make it 2-0.
AUTHENTIC PASSER
Musiala is not a particularly prolific passer (his 39.07 passes per 90 minutes this season places him lower than every other Liverpool midfielder, with his former teammate Ryan Gravenberch having the lowest rate at 42.5).
Although there is potential there given the quality he has at his disposal, he is not the type of passer who moves the ball from deep areas into the final third. Instead, he uses his ball carrying ability to do that.
What he is, though, is an extremely effective one. He is constantly getting the ball into the penalty area and his chance creation through his passing is through the roof. His 1.53 passes into the penalty area are followed up with 0.24 expected assisted goals per 90 – which ranks him in the 98th percentile for midfielders and 76th percentile for attacking midfielders and wingers.
Musiala is not only a one-man machine in getting the ball into the final third, he’s also an absolute killer when he gets there too.
GOAL THREAT
Oh, and did I mention? He also scores a lot of goals.
Along with his 13 assists (which, at 19 years old, amounts to 29 direct goal involvements), he actually contributed 16 last season.
The shots that resulted in 12 of those 16 goals (the Bundesliga goals, via Understat) are shown above.
The greatest quality of Musiala’s goal-scoring is his versatility as a danger. He frequently exhibits the type of movement in the box that his new teammate Harry Kane would be pleased with, and then the very next second, he’ll be slamming one in from 25 yards. This kind of variation will make him a constant threat over the course of his career.
In every season of senior football, he has also outpaced expectations in terms of goals, and while this may level off eventually, it does suggest that he will take advantage of his opportunities to shoot.
DEFENSIVE SIDE
The German is not the best at defence, but he is also not a wimp. While he won’t ever win many tackles or duels, he does have a good sense of the game and puts in a lot of effort to be a part of the defence.
He is a willing and knowledgeable presser, which is not surprising considering that Hansi Flick and Thomas Tuchel have been his coaches. Although Joshua Kimmich, who is a very talented defender, is behind or next to him, he is compensated by knowing where to place himself to aid the team.
LIVERPOOL FIT
Jamal Musiala is a very, very, very talented football player, which has been proved. However, would he fit in a Jürgen Klopp Liverpool team?
The easy response is yes, simply because Musiala is poised to become one of the sport’s top players and is also incredibly versatile. He may be described as playing off the striker at number 10, which is his “main” position. He has played that position in a 4-2-3-1 for the most of his club’s game time. This enables him to move into several positions. He can drop into the middle to create a three-man midfield, rotate into wide areas and turn into a winger, or even push up and serve as the attack’s main focal point.
The two “advanced eights” in front of the inverting Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister (who, in an ideal world, would also be one of the more advanced midfielders) who form a double pivot are typically Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai for Liverpool.
Although I have no doubt that Musiala would fit in (and be an improvement) to one of those more advanced roles, it is debatable whether it would be wise to spend £100m or more on Musiala in the summer when you may need to address the right-wing position and rebuild the defence.
Musiala is capable of playing in wide areas, but he prefers to drift to the left, where Liverpool already has a good deal of depth. He can also play deeper as a member of a double pivot, but doing so alongside Joshua Kimmich, a more seasoned defensive midfielder, is different from being asked to play as the main defender next to the roving Trent Alexander-Arnold.
While Musiala would undoubtedly look beautiful in both, they also would likely limit his full potential, which is what both roles have in common.
Therefore, Jamal Musiala most likely does not have a clearly defined function at Liverpool in their current state. But in reality, if you can afford to pay for him, you should take use of his talent and worry about the rest later.
Salah is going to be gone sooner rather than later, and Musiala is the talent that the club can build a team around for the next 10-15 years. I don’t think it’ll be easy to get him out of Bavaria, in fact, I expect it to be near enough impossible – but if you can, then yes, absolutely do it.