Alexis Mac Allister has been the best midfielder in the Premier League this season, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.
The Argentine was part of the Liverpool starting XI that managed to beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 last Sunday, with the result enough to secure the top-flight title.
Mac Allister was signed for a fee in the region of £35m from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2023, and after initially being deployed as a number six at Anfield, the 26-year-old has performed excellently as a number eight.
When asked by Sports Mole if Mac Allister has been the best midfielder in the league, Lynch agreed, saying: "There's talk rightly about Salah, who is doing the hardest thing in football and will win player of the season, but Mac Allister is right up there and he's in the heart of the team. His role is so important there. I would agree with him being the best central midfielder in the Premier League.
"What would he be worth now if he came onto the market? It's a complete steal for Liverpool - what a signing he's been. I thought it was fitting that he got that goal to make it 2-1 and his overall performance - won the most duels, won the most tackles, scores a goal on his wrong foot. He has three shots in total, creates a couple of chances as well. He's a Swiss army knife.
"He is absolutely world class at everything that you need in a central midfielder, and then the fact that he was at the heart of the [Tottenham] performance that sealed [the title], I thought was very fitting because he's been absolutely fantastic all season."
Boss Arne Slot has frequently singled out the Argentine for praise, and he has formed an excellent partnership in a double pivot alongside Ryan Gravenberch.
Has Mac Allister been better than Rice?
After Declan Rice's exploits for Arsenal in the Champions League against Real Madrid, many pundits were quick to praise the Englishman as one of Premier League's best midfielders.
While Mac Allister is not as strong from an athletic perspective as his counterpart, he is arguably better on the ball and still excellent out of possession.
Lynch claimed that the Liverpool midfielder excels in areas where Rice struggles in when he told Sports Mole: "You try and think who else is in contention [for midfielder of the season]. Rodri's not been there this season and he would be up there. I think Declan Rice is a fantastic player.
"But Mac Allister - he doesn't have that running power of a Declan Rice, but he makes up for it with his intelligence, his positioning, his tenacity. He's got far more craft with the ball, I would say. Declan Rice for all his qualities can be a bit heavy-footed at times.
"Mac Allister is in a different class, and I wonder with his lack of running power and size whether he ends up a bit underrated, not just in the wider footballing world, but among Liverpool supporters as well. He's absolutely unbelievable, and we don't talk enough about the fact that Liverpool somehow signed him for £35 million."
It should be noted that among the members of Liverpool's squad, Mac Allister has attempted the most tackles (95), the most blocks (60), the most passes blocked (54) and committed the most fouls (60), as well as having won the most ground duels per 90 of any midfielder at the club (4.5).
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The impact of winning the Premier League on legacies at Liverpool
While Mac Allister has likely cemented his place among the club's most legendary players of the modern era, there are a number of his teammates who have also significantly strengthened their own legacies.
Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker and Andrew Robertson are some of the the players to have won their second title on Merseyside, drawing level with historic greats such as Thierry Henry.
Lynch expressed his view that winning the Premier League has ensured that the likes of Salah will undoubtedly be regarded as among the division's finest, telling Sports Mole: "One of the accusations that was levelled at them was that they hadn't won enough, and someone like Mo Salah is the best example. He's now got as many Premier League titles as Thierry Henry.
"You can't throw the silverware arguments at him now, Mo Salah's got two Premier League titles, he's got a European Cup, which Thierry Henry didn't win whilst he was in the Premier League. These things are important, but unfortunately we're talking about collective honours in terms of judging individuals against them and that is not fair.
"If they hadn't won the Premier League title this season and they'd got beaten to it by another rampant Manchester City season, they'd still be as great as players, but to convince the wider public you need those winners' medals. For Salah, Alisson, Van Dijk, these are important wins in terms of what it does in cementing their legacy amongst fans of other clubs."
Considering both Van Dijk and Salah have committed their immediate futures to Liverpool, there is every chance that they could win more before their time at Anfield comes to an end, especially with the likes of Mac Allister marshalling midfield.
Lewis Nolan
