Polish International Dreams of Playing Alongside Coutinho at Liverpool

When 21-year-old Poland and Empoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski was first linked with a Liverpool move in January, it caught many fans off guard. Zielinski looks a promising player, but he’s not yet a household name and, for many, wasn't even on their radar before the links first popped up.

In the end, nothing came of the links, but a few months on from the close of the January window, Zielinski himself shed some light on them while on duty with the Polish national team. Whether anything happens in the end, it seems safe to say there’s real interest there—and that the interest goes both ways.

"Some people may think it’s just rumours, but I know a little bit more about it," Zielinski told Futbolfejs when asked about the possibility he could end up at Liverpool next season if everything goes well for him. "I’ve worked hard at Empoli so that this summer I might have a chance to make such a big move.

"I spoke with Kuba [Jakub Błaszczykowski], who plays at Fiorentina now, about Klopp. He told me how his personality is, how he is with the players, and gave me some tips, but still nothing is known yet and I know I have to consistently play well at Empoli to get interest from bigger clubs."

Zielinski has spent the past two seasons on loan at Empoli from Udinese, and this year has made 29 appearances and scored three goals to date. He is expected to be in the Poland squad for the upcoming Euros, and the midfielder registered an assist on Saturday as a second half substitute against Finland.

In addition to his three club goals this season, he has also registered four assists in Serie A, and whether he ends up at Liverpool next year or not, he says the player he models his game after is current Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who he says it would be a dream to be able to line up alongside.

"I really like Coutinho’s style of play," added Zielinski. "I watch him closely, and it would be great to play alongside him. I’m sure we could be a good duo on the pitch, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens."