3 young ‘project’ defenders Liverpool should try to sign this summer

It’s been a summer of change at Anfield.

Many familiar faces have left for new shores – Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho (though unconfirmed) have headed to Saudi Arabia, James Milner has moved south to Brighton and Naby Keïta is back in Germany with Werder Bremen.

The only area of ​​the team that has remained intact so far is defence. However, with new form affecting the way Klopp uses his left-back and the profiles of Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk aging and deteriorating, there is a clear need for defensive reinforcements in the near future.

Athletic have reported that Liverpool are in the hunt for a centre-back this summer – but only one who fits the right profile. That profile is twenty-three years old or younger and would not require a large fee. The ideal situation for the club is to bring in a ‘project’ centre-back, one who doesn’t require coming in and starting over with Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, but who could make an impact sooner rather than later.

I have decided to look into some possible options for the club, but before doing so it is important to establish what it will take to bring a defender to the club in the coming weeks.

WHAT KIND OF DEFENDER DO LIVERPOOL NEED?

In a perfect world, the player entering will be left-footed and capable of filling the position as well as left-back, whilst more naturally being a centre-back. This would allow Liverpool’s new form to thrive, with Konaté covering the space in midfield vacated by Trent Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk keeping central space and Andy Robertson ready to be deployed as left-back – a role that does not suit him. his strengths as a marauding full-back.

This player must be comfortable with the ball at their feet and be able to receive the ball consistently. Ideally, he should also be progressive in passing (van Dijk usually sits while Konaté is more of a progressive player). Last but not least – and perhaps the most obvious – you have to be a good defender, solid in duels on the ground and in the air and ready to go.

The player I just described is basically Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, a player seemingly linked with Liverpool on a weekly basis. Still, getting him out of Stamford Bridge will be next to impossible. That leaves Liverpool looking elsewhere, and I’ve identified a few names that would make sense for Klopp’s Liverpool.

LUKEBA CASTLE, OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS (20)
xTV reach: €14 million – €23.3 million*

The Lyon academy is a talent factory.

Year after year they deliver players for the first team. They are currently going through a new golden generation with Malo Gusto (already left for Chelsea), Bradley Barcola, crown jewel Rayan Cherki and the one we will focus on: central defender Castello Lukeba. At just 20, he has already made more than 50 Ligue 1 appearances in two years. While there is a youth culture at the club, this is a strong indication of how well regarded the Lyon-born defender is.

He fits many of the boxes Liverpool want to tick. Topping that list is how comfortable the under-21 France international is with the ball. He’s an excellent passer, averaging around 68 in 90 minutes of football (for context, van Dijk averages around 78 in a much more dominant side). He is someone who is always looking to push the ball forward, which is evident in his 4.05 progressive passes per 90, which puts him in the 76th percentile of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues. He is also extremely reliable when it comes to passing, completing almost 90% (89.9% to be exact) of his passes.

Off the ball, his strength lies in reading the game. He ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs for interceptions, demonstrating his ability to anticipate and parry attacks. He’s an extremely proactive defender and he’s not afraid to chase the ball aggressively, which of course has its pros and cons. One area of ​​concern is its size and flight capabilities. Six feet tall, he is slightly shorter than the average Liverpool centre-back and with an aerial win rate of around 53%, he is much shorter than the centre-backs usually targeted by the club.

The defender is said to be available this summer for around €25-30m, with RB Leipzig the most likely destination. Given the defensive repertoire of German clubs in recent times – including Liverpool’s Konaté – it may be worth bringing them forward this summer.

GONCALO INÁCIO, CP SPORTS (21)
xTV reach: €22 million – €36.7 million

This, unlike the other two suggestions, is someone Liverpool fans may be familiar with. Gonçalo Inácio has been a name linked to the club in recent months due to his form at Sporting and some notable performances in the Europa League. The 21-year-old has a release clause in his €60m contract, although whether the Lisbon giants can be negotiated from this remains to be seen. Although on the pricier side, Inácio seems tailor-made for Liverpool’s new system. Sporting play a three in defense religiously, with the Almada-born defender often deployed on the left side of defence. While the out of possession role would be a learning curve, in possession he would suit an essentially similar role to the one he played for his current club.

In possession, Inácio is both a skilled passer and extremely comfortable carrying the ball in midfield and beyond. He is a great passer – more than Lukeba – with 88.63 for ninety. He is a much more progressive passer than the Frenchman with 9.04 for 90 (almost five for 90 more than Liverpool’s most advanced centre-back Joël Matip).

What stands out in the game holding him, however, are his quick forward runs. Although his long limbs make him look uncoordinated, he is able to push his way through encroaching forwards before making the decision to let go of the ball.

Just look at Inácio’s heatmap, while he can come in and exploit the side directly from the left, he also provides depth for the right. GIORGIO SCALVINI, ATALANTA (19)
xTV range: €18.9m – €31.6m

Liverpool have generally not had much luck with Italian signings. Andrea Dossena had a crazy week scoring against Real Madrid and Manchester United but not much else, Alberto Aquilani was injured the most and Fabio Borini just wasn’t good enough. Still, there is little doubt about the quality of Lombardy-born Scalvini.

This is perhaps a suggestion more related to left field (pardon the pun), as Scalvini is the only natural right-footed player on the roster. Despite his natural right foot, the Italian prefers to play on the left side of the pitch. He spent most of last season there for Atalanta, but Scalvini offers a positional flexibility the others don’t have. He is as comfortable in midfield as he is in defence, having even covered right-back before. However, at the moment he enjoys spending time on the left flank which is perfect for Liverpool.

His ball qualities are excellent. Although not as vocal a passer as Inácio and Lukeba, Scalvini’s objective in everything he does in possession is to get the ball into the opposition’s goal. He ranks in the top 2% of central defenders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes (6.09 per 90) and in the top 26% for progressive carries per 90 (0.85). Acting almost simultaneously as a defender and midfielder, Scalvini fills both roles almost simultaneously in the same game.

The other side of the coin for the Italian is that despite his great physique (he measures 1.90m), he is not particularly dominant in the air (he obtains a score of 1.89/90, below the average of aerial duels won). He can also spin quite slowly when receiving the ball and if pressure is applied in this situation and he gets caught, it often gives the opponent a numerical advantage in an attacking situation.

All three are very different stylistically and would offer different things to Liverpool’s backline, but would likely all fit stylistically with the LB/LCB role created in this new system. Lukeba is left-footed with huge advantages in defensive duels and progressive passes.

Inácio is probably the most positionally compatible and would provide Liverpool with a defender adept at both midfield and long-range passing. Then there’s Scalvini, who probably has the most potential of the three, although Liverpool are unlikely to field exclusively right-footed players in defence.

It remains to be seen what will happen in this area and it is possible that the club will sit on what they have for a year and reassess the market in 2024. But should they choose one this summer, the three elements above above could be interesting options. *xTV = expected transfer value, using Football Transfers’ AI-powered model to estimate an accurate transfer fee for a given player.