Danny Murphy has urged Liverpool to strongly consider a transfer move for Barcelona misfit Alejandro Balde this winter.

Liverpool invested heavily in the summer with a view to giving Andoni Iraola the best possible chance in the hot seat following Arne Slot’s dismissal as manager.

It saw Jeremy Jacquet, Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz all added to Iraola’s squad for a combined fee of around £200million – and the trio have gone on to enjoy encouraging starts to life at Anfield.

With the Reds having dropped points in five of their opening ten matches of the Premier League campaign, though, attentions have quickly turned to the January transfer window as an opportunity to further strengthen.

Milos Kerkez has blown hot and cold since joining Liverpool for a fee of £40million from Bournemouth 18 months ago and rumours have been circulating that the club could reenter the transfer market for a new left-back.

The Merseyside giants have been credited with a strong interest in Juventus’ Andrea Cambiaso and Santos’ Vinicius Lira in recent days, with Kerkez and Kostas Tsimikas both yet to fully convince fans that they could eventually fill the shoes left by Andy Robertson.

But according to Murphy, ‘super talent’ Balde could be the ideal signing for Liverpool given the out-of-favour Spaniard is already used to the expectations that come with playing for a ‘huge football club’.

Balde has made just three substitute appearances for Barca in La Liga this term and Manchester United have also been named as a potential escape route for the £33m-rated defender at the halfway point of the season.

‘I think Liverpool will be looking for a left-back but it’s hard because I don’t know Kerkez personally, I know he’s trying really hard and you can see it in his energy that he cares, and that’s a great start,’ the ex-Liverpool and England midfielder told Betarades.

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‘He cares for the shirt and he’s working really hard to try and make it happen.

‘I think Balde could be great for Liverpool because he’s a super talent and he’s also got that experience of being at a huge football club with that expectation.

‘Balde’s a really good player. There’s lots of good players out there and Liverpool will be scouring the world.’

Murphy believes it could be time for Liverpool to look for ‘more established’ and ‘ready-made players’ after prioritising youth in recent transfer windows.

‘I think the most important thing is trying to bring somebody in who doesn’t make you guess whether he can deal with the pressure of a big club,’ he added.

‘It’s a delicate balance because Liverpool for years were very good at taking diamonds in from the rough, if you like. Someone like [Philippe] Coutinho, like [Andy] Robertson, like [Sadio] Mane even from Southampton. [Roberto] Firmino was about £20m.

‘Liverpool took those diamonds in the rough and moulded them into these superstars, and then when we’ve tried to go and spend massive money on these already made stars, it’s not quite worked.

‘I still think there are times, especially in defensive areas where you really do want ready-made players. Especially when you’re struggling.

‘I think Liverpool have got enough young players now who need to grow. I think now there’s an argument to have a few more players who are maybe a bit more established.’

Murphy has some sympathy for Kerkez but feels the Hungary international needs to get his head down and work on his composure if he is to make a success of his time at Liverpool.

‘He just lacks composure and quality in the final third when he gets there. Too often his final pass or his cross isn’t good enough,’ he continued.

‘He doesn’t have the composure of an Andy Robertson, and to be fair to him, you are filling the boots of arguably one of the best left-backs Liverpool’s ever had.”

‘I think the lack of quality at times is due to the fact he’s very fast. He’s very much 100 miles an hour. I’m surprised they’re not working with him more to slow him down in those areas and to just calm himself.

‘Now it wouldn’t be as bad if he was brilliant defensively, but he’s struggling defensively as well. His positional play is sometimes a bit off, he’s a bit erratic in terms of diving in or getting beat.

‘He likes jumping into people. It’s a dilemma for Liverpool, and I think one that they’ll definitely be looking at and trying to address, because not every signing works out.’

On Kerkez, Murphy went on: ‘I was somebody who saw him that year at Bournemouth and thought he looked like a terrific young player.

‘But the one thing that people don’t understand and it’s only when you’ve been in that position you can empathise with going from playing in one environment to being in the intense, magnified world of Liverpool Football Club.

‘Every game, every minute, every mistake is analysed by the fans, by the press, by the worldwide audience, and I think that expectation, and that pressure is a bit much for him.’