Andoni Iraola has been given his toughest task yet but 'exceptional' Liverpool star can solve it

Liverpool clearly have many issues to figure out this summer.

They finished fifth in the Premier League and, if we're being honest, that is a massive fall from grace after they only won the Premier League title the season prior.

That's why Andoni Iraola has already been brought in with Fenway Sports Group hoping that the Spaniard will be able to turn things around.

The former Bournemouth boss has actually already got to work with Richard Hughes as Liverpool confirmed a deal for Victor Munoz towards the end of June.

And, since there are still many areas of Liverpool's team that need upgrading, plenty more change is expected to be on the way.

However, the solution to one of the main problems that the Reds have could actually already be at the club.

Liverpool need a new defensive midfielder before the 2026-27 season kicks off

Even though Ryan Gravenberch was turned into one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League by Arne Slot during his first season in charge of Liverpool, the 2025-26 season was the complete opposite.

The Dutchman started almost every game for Liverpool as their number six and, while many thought he'd get straight back to his best, he actually managed to get worse which has led to the Reds looking for a new defensive midfielder.

Many players have already been linked with an Anfield switch such as Adam Wharton, Elliott Anderson and Ayoub Bouaddi.

But, since Crystal Palace don't want to sell Wharton and Anderson has just joined Manchester City, the latter of the three is one of the Reds' only remaining options.

Bouaddi is only 18 years old but, while playing for Morocco, he's been setting the World Cup alight.

Many clubs from across the globe have shown an interest in signing him but, thanks to the £116 million that City have just spent on Anderson, deals for defensive midfielders are massively inflated.

This has led to Liverpool getting some crazy quotes for their targets and has made fans realise that a new number six might not end up coming in.

But, luckily for the Anfield outfit, they may not need to sign one at all if certain things go their way.

Stefan Bajcetic could be Liverpool's new defensive midfielder

When Jurgen Klopp was the manager of Liverpool, Stefan Bajcetic was one of the Reds' highest regarded prospects.

The Spaniard was given plenty of gametime by the German as he managed to fill in the gap left by Fabinho's exit back in the 2023-24 season.

Many thought the youngster was the second-coming of the Brazilian as, despite still being a teenager, he managed to hold his own and even get called one of the Reds' best players.

In fact, his performances even earned him enough praise to be dubbed an "exceptional" player by Klopp.

Since then, he's had some loan deals but, as has been the case for most of his career, he's missed out on a lot of playing time due to injury.

However, recent reports have emerged that the now 21-year-old could be available to Iraola for Liverpool's 2026-27 pre-season games.

If Bajcetic manages to get back to his best and finds a way into his new managers plans, there's no reason why he couldn't be Liverpool's new number six and potentially end up saving them over €100 million.