Francisco Trincao scouting report: why Liverpool should be careful with sporting's creative forward

Francisco Trincao is an interesting one because he is clearly a talented footballer. I want to say that first. He can play, he can receive the ball, pass it, combine, create, and produce moments in the final third. His output for Sporting has been strong, with 30 goals and assists mentioned, and in 11 Champions League games, he has four goals and three assists.

This is not a matter of whether he is a bad player, he is not. The real question is whether he is the right fit for Liverpool in terms of his age, role, and price.

That is where I become more cautious.

Trincao has played in the Premier League before with Wolves. He has also been at Barcelona, where it did not go too well, and he is now doing very well at Sporting Lisbon. He signed a new deal around March time, he has a 60 million euro release clause, and he is a Jorge Mendes client. There is a relationship there, and that always means these links can make some sense on paper. The problem is that recruitment is not about whether a player has ability in isolation. It is about what that ability does inside your team.