Moving Target – Lazar Markovic

Having already brought in Oumar Niasse and Omar Elabdellaoui on loan, signed Evandro from Porto and made Markus Henriksen’s loan move a permanent one, Hull City made their fifth capture of the January transfer window on Monday by completing a deal for Liverpool midfielder Lazar Markovic on loan until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan at Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, with a lack of first-team football leading to his arrival at the KCOM Stadium.

Discussing his move with the local press, the winger is determined to prove the doubters wrong after struggling to settle on Merseyside:

“I hope that my actions will speak louder than words and I can prove myself to the club and to everyone in English football. I joined Liverpool when I was very young and have not yet had a long run in the side to show people what I am capable of. I hope to use this loan spell with City to prove myself in the best league in the world because I feel there is lots more to come from me.”

The History

Markovic joined the youth set-up at Partizan Belgrade aged 12, and progressed through the ranks to make his senior debut in May 2011.

The following summer, the winger signed his first professional contract with Partizan – a five-year deal – and quickly established himself as a first-team regular during the 2011/12 campaign, making 26 league appearances, which yielded six goals and six assists.

Markovic’s career trajectory continued in an upward direction, with seven goals and seven assists in 19 league matches in the following season.

Those performances put him on the radars of many European clubs, but it was Benfica who secured his signature ahead of the 2013/14 campaign.

Markovic’s one year in Portugal was a success, with the midfielder totalling five goals and five assists from 26 league appearances, while he also gained further European experience in both the Champions League and the Europa League.

In the summer of 2014, Liverpool stumped up £20 million to bring Markovic to Anfield, seeing off competition from the likes of Chelsea.

He struggled to establish himself as a regular starter, though, and only made 19 league appearances in 2014/15, registering just two goals and one assist, before being sent out on loan to Turkish side Fenerbahce for the 2015/16 campaign.

Markovic featured in 14 league matches for Fenerbahce, registering two assists, before his season was cut short by a hamstring injury.

Jurgen Klopp decided to send Markovic out on loan to Sporting Lisbon last summer, but after only making two league starts, the winger now finds himself heading to Hull for a third loan spell in just 18 months.

After representing Serbia at U17 and U21 levels, Markovic made his senior debut against Armenia in February 2012.

He has made 22 appearances for his country, scoring three goals.

The Prospects

While new Hull head coach Marco Silva was forced to use a 3-4-2-1 against Chelsea last weekend, the Portuguese manager is known to favour a 4-2-3-1, but until this point, has lacked the attacking midfield options – particularly after Henriksen picked up a serious shoulder injury – to adopt that formation.

But the signing of Markovic should help Silva turn to his preferred system, with the Serbian set to emerge as a regular starter for the Tigers.

Markovic’s career has stagnated over recent seasons, though, and it make take a few run-outs for the winger to firstly get his match fitness up to scratch, and then to restore the confidence that has been missing from his game since moving to England in 2014.

The 22-year-old was known for his blistering pace during his formative years, and Turkish sports magazine Fanatik aptly described Markovic as “Our Usain Bolt” upon his arrival in Turkey.

Injuries may have taken their toll but Markovic still possesses plenty of speed, and should still be able to deliver an end product via his natural dribbling and ability to play incisive through balls.

The final pass has been an issue for Markovic in recent years, but he’s still only 22, and a run of matches could help restore some confidence, and realise some of his untapped potential.

Silva has already begun transforming Hull into more of a counter-attacking side, with the 3-1 victory over Bournemouth conjured from just 39% possession.

Markovic could be perfectly suited in that sense, with his ability to transition quickly likely to be an important asset.

The Serbian is comfortable playing on either flank, and could offer a contrasting weapon to Robert Snodgrass, who is often more reliant on the quality of his final ball.

As we know from today’s news on Burnley’s accepted bid and Middlesbrough’s rival interest, Snodgrass looks poised to leave the club. Markovic is surely earmarked to help fill the void left by the Scot’s departure.

However, given his struggles over the past few years, there will be immediate doubts on Markovic’s ability to compensate for the loss of Snodgrass.

One issue that surfaced during his spell at Liverpool was his failure to adjust to the physical demands of the Premier League. In a Hull relegation battle, he’s certainly going to have to step up to the mark in that respect.

Markovic is priced at 5.4 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), and is very unlikely to be considered until Hull’s testing fixture pass (mun, LIV, ars) and while there are still doubts surrounding his sharpness.

In addition, Silva intends to make further additions to his squad, with the possible funds from Snodgrass’ sale likely to be targeted at the midfield. The Tigers will surely need an additional schemer to make the difference in the final third.

In essence, it’s a case of wait and see as to whether Markovic can make the difference, although the early signs under Silva have certainly been encouraging.

Should Hull maintain their recent level of performance over the next few weeks, then the improved schedule from Gameweek 26 may well afford them the platform to supply us with a viable Fantasy asset with Markovic perhaps emerging as a factor.

Further Reference

Lazar Markovic Wikipedia

Lazar Markovic Transfer Markt Page

Lazar Markovic You Tube