Alexis Mac Allister has a strong case to be signing of the summer as his technical brilliance and tenacity have seen him grow in stature at Liverpool, writes LEWIS STEELE

Brighton owner Tony Bloom would have been laughing all the way to the bank when he saw a cheque for ‘one hundred and fifteen million pounds only’ come through for Moises Caicedo last summer, the midfielder now at Chelsea and having an indifferent first season to put it kindly.

Fellow Albion star Alexis Mac Allister for £35million in the same window, however, looks like one where Brighton have been conned. Considering that relatively small price, the Argentine is stating a strong case for signing of the summer in the Premier League.

He had an inconsistent start to life on Merseyside. Due to unplanned exits of captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, Mac Allister was often forced to play as a deep-lying No 6 midfielder. It took him a month or so to get used to it, but soon started to excel.

In that role, where he played pretty much every game for the first months of the season while Wataru Endo got up to speed, Mac Allister showed the technical brilliance many associate with diminutive Argentinians like he is, but also a ruthless tenacity off the ball that proves his Scottish and Irish roots.

The boy known as ‘Macca’ around Kirkby is said to be an influential member of the dressing room, with an infectious smile. His big pal is Darwin Nunez, and the pair seem to have a growing, telepathic bond on and off the pitch.

Mac Allister had an inconsistent start to life at Liverpool but the midfielder has started to excel

The Argentine looks a steal at £35million compared to ex-Brighton team-mate Moises Caicedo

‘My relationship with Darwin is very good, of course,’ he said this week. ‘Since the first time we met, you could see the connection between us off the pitch. On the pitch we try to be connected, when I play as an No 8 of course that connection has to be important.

‘I have played football for a long time, even though I’m still young. The experience helps, for me it is important to think on the pitch and see where your team-mates are. Once you have the ball you have to make the decision. I don’t know if I look calm but my brain is at 200 per cent!’

At training, the pair are always enjoying a cup of maté together and like to make fun of each other. Fellow South Americans Alisson and Luis Diaz are also part of the clique, and the four players from different nations have a healthy rivalry over which nation is better.

Nunez has the bragging rights on that note for now, with him scoring for Uruguay against Brazil and Argentina last year.

He has the bragging rights in a lot of departments at the moment after his 99th-minute winner at Nottingham Forest and then bringing up Jurgen Klopp’s 1,000th goal at the club in Prague on Thursday night. But Nunez has Mac Allister to thank for that, with two sumptuous assists in the last two games.

Darwin Nunez brought up the 1,000th goal of Jurgen Klopp’s reign after a Mac Allister assist

While others have been getting the headlines, be it Nunez or the ‘Kindergarten Kop’, Mac Allister has been an ever-present effervescence. He might not be the man directly firing Liverpool to victory but he is a growing presence of importance.

His influence on games has markedly grown since Klopp gave him a licence to thrill from the No 8 role, with Japan skipper Endo barely putting a foot wrong at the heart of midfield. The pair have a good understanding on how to control a game.

Fellow midfield summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai caused a flurry of excitement with early-season displays but Mac Allister has pulled clear of the Hungarian in the conversation for transfer of the season, not just at Liverpool but the whole division.

The Argentine has a museum in the works at his home. He said this week he ‘enjoys every day’ his World Cup and Carabao Cup medals. If he keeps these stellar performances up, Mac Allister will need to make space for more medals.