In a new series of articles, FantasySports.co.uk will analyse the likely formation and performance impact that players would have on some of the Premier League’s greatest clubs. Today, we ask the question: ‘How would former Schalke player Max Meyer fit in at Liverpool?’
Our analysis series is to assist Fantasy Premier League managers in understanding the impact Max Meyer could have next season in the English top-flight.
Analysis: How would former Schalke player Max Meyer fit in at Liverpool?
Germany’s youth academy has churned out some of the best players to ever play in the Bundesliga and abroad. Max Meyer is another top young player to emerge from Schalke’s academy. Yet, like many of the players that came before him, Meyer has left Gelsenkirchen. Now a free agent, Meyer is weighing his club options.
Meyer is just 22-years old and will turn 23 in September. He started his Schalke first-team career in 2012. He was just 17-years old when he debuted for the club following Lewis Holtby’s departure. His rise has been in stark contrast to Holtby’s as the latter has fallen from an improving star and into a player who helped Hamburg SV to relegation a season ago.
Meyer helped Schalke to a second-place finish in last season’s Bundesliga and the club qualified for the Champions League. It was Schalke’s best finish in eight seasons. Not since 2009-10 had Schalke achieved a second-place Bundesliga finish.
In 192 performances with Schalke, Meyer tallied 22 goals and 24 assists. Despite his quality, Meyer failed to score or assist a goal in 2017-18 for the club. His only goal of the season came in the DFB Pokal as he scored a goal in four cup appearances.
Meyer was deployed as a central midfielder for most of the season. He was also deployed as a deep-lying midfielder for Schalke on eight occasions. Only once during the season was he played as an attacking midfielder, which is the position he had mostly played in the years before.
The current free agent would be deployed in Liverpool’s central midfield area. Yet, Jurgen Klopp’s central midfield has become an area filled with top-quality talent vying for a spot.
Meyer’s 2017-18 doesn’t bode well for Fantasy Premier League managers. The midfielder was unable to rack up any goals or assists points. In addition, he received six yellow cards. Meyer’s stock seems to have declined since the end of last term. Due to his poor production a year ago, FPL manager should resist adding him to their squad unless he proved capable in the Premier League.