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Liverpool have not dipped into the transfer market yet this summer, and after a rival pounced on a centre-back the club admired, debate has hotted up over the defensive ranks.
The scars from the Reds’ centre-back crisis of yesteryear remain prominent in the minds of supporters – safe to say, you can never have too many options.
This summer, Liverpool bid farewell to experienced veteran Joel Matip to leave Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez as the senior contingent.
And one could even argue that Gomez’s time at full-back leaves Arne Slot with just three specialists.
Beyond the quartet, though, there is the returning Sepp van den Berg – whose future is under serious question amid growing transfer interest – and the potential lure of the transfer window.
In the knowledge that a season can hinge on the centre-back ranks, it leaves Slot with a bit of a conundrum on his hands, and those of the club’s transfer chiefs.
The established youth
A lot of talk has centred around Leny Yoro of late, an 18-year-old whose transfer fee and wage demands saw Liverpool, PSG and Real Madrid baulk at any deal.
Man United, unsurprisingly, were willing to make the £52 million stretch for the player, who sets a dangerous precedent with his wages reportedly starting at £113,000 per week.
Those finances for an 18-year-old with 60 senior club appearances are not justifiable for Liverpool, who have their own rising star that they have never had to pay a lump sum for.
We are, of course, talking about Quansah.
A new, shiny transfer can be exciting, but in the 21-year-old the Reds have a talent who England named in their provisional Euros squad and had Newcastle including him as part of a deal to send Anthony Gordon the other way.
He may have less senior experience than Yoro, but in 2023/24 his aerial duel success rate was 67.2% compared to the Frenchman’s 63.8%, and the percentage of dribblers tackled was 70% to 54.8% in favour of the Liverpool man.
What the Reds’ No. 78 accomplished at the top level of English football last season was admirable, so why would the club pay over the odds for a player who would not necessarily be above Quansah in the pecking order?
You do not even have to split hairs over their talent, it would be a gamble to pay £50 million for a signing who blocked the pathway of an existing youth player who has shown they have what it takes.
Time may prove Liverpool wrong and that Yoro was worth the initial outlay, but Quansah is confident that Slot’s style will play to his strengths.
“I think a lot of my strengths can be shown in the system he likes to play,” he said.
“Obviously, I like playing with the ball as well, so I think what the gaffer likes to do is a lot that I like. But there’s still a lot to improve on.”
He’s not the only young centre-back under the watchful eye of the new head coach, though he is the only one Liverpool have put a ‘You Shall Not Buy’ tag on. The same cannot be said of Sepp van den Berg.
The ‘wantaway’
Van den Berg has been a prominent figure in the early weeks of pre-season, impressing with his fitness after a standout season on loan at Mainz.
The 22-year-old previously expressed a desire to leave and Liverpool placed a £20 million price tag on his head, a figure that interested suitors have been keen to negotiate.
He is set to get his chance in the upcoming summer friendlies, but the likes of PSV, Mainz, Wolfsburg and Stuttgart have been circling, as too clubs in the Premier League.
The versatile Dutchman has been on loan for three consecutive seasons and last played for the Reds in 2020.
With a valuation set and whispers of the club being in the market for a new centre-back signing, it hints that there is no unanimous belief in his qualities, which he’d have to prove wrong this pre-season.
You send players away on temporary deals in the hope they return as more complete packages, but sticking with Van den Berg as the fifth-choice option could be considered a risk.
In Konate they have an injury-prone option, which Gomez has often been categorised as too; Van Dijk is an ever-present but is now 33, and Quansah ticks the box for a young, up-and-comer.
You do not want to expect the worst, but Liverpool and Slot will have to consider if they’d feel comfortable relying on Van den Berg in the big games as Jurgen Klopp did with Quansah last season.
If the answer is yes, then you convince him to stick around despite being unable to guarantee regular minutes. If it’s no, then the club need to invest.
The transfer route
If Van den Berg is to depart, he will be expected to join Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams as defensive outgoings this summer, which would leave the Reds no choice but to add to their ranks.
The latter two are no longer in contention to stick around, and while this does not feel like the summer Liverpool are to break the bank, nor is it the time to neglect a key position.
Slot’s demands for his central defenders are not too dissimilar to Klopp’s, with a high line a common sight and confidence on the ball key – his teams often look to push the opposition into wide areas.
This is where Quansah has proven his worth, whereas Van den Berg’s recent loan experience has tasked him with more defensive duties than forays further up the pitch.
The mould is clear for any centre-back to join the senior quartet from last season, but Slot has to consider if he will get more from Van den Berg or the transfer market.
There is no shortage of options, with Marc Guehi, Riccardo Calafiori, Jean-Clair Todibo, Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapie, among others, all players to consider – so it’s not that there’s a dearth of talent out there.
Your move, Liverpool.
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