EXCLUSIVE: The FULL lowdown on Desire Doue as Liverpool eye SPECIAL PSG wonderkid

Not even halfway through his maiden season as Liverpool boss, Arne Slot has shown his credentials as a coach not to be underestimated.

Liverpool find themselves leading the way in the Premier League as rivals Manchester City and Arsenal have started their season out of form, and the Reds also sit at the top of the Champions League group phase.

This is all despite the side making very little business in the transfer window after Jurgen Klopp left last season, as Giorgi Mamardashvili doesn't arrive until next season, Federico Chiesa's injury problems have already come to fruition and the club's attempts to draw Martin Zubimendi away from Sociedad inevitably failed.

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However, Liverpool have been extraordinarily busy behind the scenes in the months that followed this summer, and despite a successful start to this year's campaign on the field, Liverpool's executives are keen to bring extra additions to the squad.

Anfield Watch exclusively revealed that the club have held preliminary talks with representatives of Milos Kerkez, the talented left-back at Bournemouth, and elsewhere reports have suggested that the Reds are preparing a move for French star Rayan Cherki.

In addition, Anfield Watch exclusively revealed yesterday that Liverpool are in the hunt for Paris Saint Germain wonderkid Desire Doue.

The 19-year-old moved to the French giants in the summer for €50m and Liverpool will be closely monitoring the young attacking talent this season after his start to this season has been one predominantly sat on the sidelines so far.

Anfield Watch spoke to footballtransfers.com French football expert Robin Brainer to get the lowdown on the situation and understand the type of player Doue is and how he might fit in Arne Slot's Reds.

What is Desire Doue's current situation at PSG?

Doue arrived at PSG in the summer after being a regular at Rennes, and while he has struggled to impose himself at Parc des Princes, has been given regular game time off the bench in Paris. In fact, there have only been two games this season where he’s not had some match action. With one assist in 12 games, his return has been a little disappointing given PSG paid €50m.

Why do you think it's not working out?

I think that saying it’s not working out is overblowing the situation. He’s a 19-year-old kid coming into a highly competitive squad. It would have taken something truly exceptional for him to have featured more in Paris thus far. However, Doue has reportedly been left frustrated at being let down by Luis Enrique, who claimed that he would be used in a multitude of positions to afford him game time. This simply hasn’t happened yet and L’Equipe says this is fuelling the player’s frustration. From the club’s perspective, there have been doubts cast over his mentality.

Does he need to be patient?

Yes and no. He needs to be patient to an extent, but above all he needs to put in a benchmark performance that really wakes Luis Enrique up to his talents. He’s not done anything to force himself into the team yet. Equally, the Spaniard can be a stubborn manager, as Randal Kolo-Muani has found out, so he doesn’t want to become considered as an also-ran by the coach, which could happen if he’s not careful. There’s a delicate balance act to be had.

Do you see PSG giving up on him already?

Absolutely not. They invested €50m in him during the summer, so expect Doue to have at least another 18 months to prove himself in Paris. Speaking on Thursday, Luis Enrique backed this up. “For Doue, we have to think about only one statistic: he’s only 19 years old,” the coach said. “It's true that we'd like everything to go faster and for him to consolidate himself as an important player, but it's a journey. It's obvious that he'd like to play more. But I think he's a player for the present, but especially for the future.”

Are there any suggestions they could cut their losses?

Although there’s media noise about Doue being unhappy with his lack of playing time, this is likely a ploy to try to get him on the pitch more regularly rather than any serious attempt to leave the club after just three months. If the disquiet and media speculation continues through until the summer, then it’s not impossible PSG could sell but it seems likely this would be player driven if anything.

What are media in France saying?

The French media is following Doue closely, but he is still being treated with patience given the nature of his summer move and his short period at PSG thus far. There’s a desire – excuse the pun – to see him thrive in Paris but an acceptance that he’ll need to work hard to win over the coach.

Which other clubs have shown interest?

During the summer, Chelsea and Manchester United were both said to have an interest in him, while there was also a suggestion that Barcelona were following him, though funding a move was always liable to prove complicated for them. Bayern Munich might arguably be the greatest threat to Liverpool, however. They already have Matthys Tel and Sacha Boey on their books from the Rennes academy.

Can you see him in the Liverpool team?

Yes, but he’ll come across the same issues at Anfield as he is in Paris. There are two main questions to answer: would he get game time? And what position will he play? There’s little to suggest that he would feature substantially more immediately for Liverpool than he is for PSG. Indeed, Liverpool have more depth in their squad in the wide areas for now, leaving the central midfield role as the one for him to target. The consensus is, however, that while Doue can become a top-class central midfielder, he is better presently out wide.

Which player is he most comparable to?

At this stage in his career, probably someone like Bernardo Silva. The Manchester City man also started life primarily as a winger before moving into the middle of the park, and that’s broadly the pathway that’s been laid out for Doue’s career, too.There are also elements of Bukayo Saka in terms of the way he carries the ball and is capable with both feet, but he’s not nearly as decisive yet.

Do you think he's reached his peak development or is there more to come?

There’s definitely more to come. He can hone his game in terms of decision making. At times he can dribble too much or taken on a player when there’s little need, while around the box he has some rough edges that need smoothing off. His versatility is also something that appears to be counting against him at present. As he doesn’t really have one specialist position, he’s in danger of becoming a jack of all trades but a master of none.

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