Liverpool has signed a brilliant and proficient player who is football God’s 

Liverpool has signed a brilliant and proficient player who is football God’s

Klopp could secure his dream Matip heir as Liverpool explore move for £90m “prodigy” – opinion

The Reds still need a defensive reinforcement this summer…

Liverpool have justifiably been focussing on the rebuild of their midfield this summer after a lacklustre campaign, but there is still a requirement for defensive reinforcement.

What’s the latest on Piero Hincapie to Liverpool?

German outlet Sport Bild has claimed that while Liverpool are interested in Bayer Leverkusen centre-half Piero Hincapie, the Bundesliga outfit would only listen to exorbitant offers and have set a ballpark price tag of £60m.

According to Spanish sources, Jurgen Klopp views the talented Ecuadorian defender as perfect to complement the established pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

It now remains to be seen whether the Anfield side would acquiesce to such demands, but undeniably, the club would immensely benefit from a fresh face to bolster the backline.

How good is Piero Hincapie?

Last season, the Reds failed to qualify for the Champions League after seven successive years and shipped 47 goals – having finished second on 92 points the season prior, conceding just 26 strikes.

While Hincapie would not arrive and revolutionise the defence, the 21-year-old would provide cover for the aforementioned central defenders and grow into his skin under Klopp’s stewardship, edging closer to a starring role at Anfield over the next few years.

He already boasts the skills requisite for success at a top-class outfit, ranking among the top 16% of positional peers for passes attempted, the top 19% for shot-creating actions, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 15% for successful take-ons and the top 11% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.

Hailed as a “prodigy” by editor Jose de Jesus Ortiz, the £34k-per-week talent could serve as the perfect heir to Joel Matip’s position in the Liverpool defence, with the veteran Cameroonian ace now in the final year of his contract with the Premier League outfit.

Matip, aged 32, also plied his trade in the German top-flight before moving to Liverpool, joining the side from Schalke on a free transfer in 2016, since making 187 appearances and winning the whole gamut of silverware under Klopp.

Like Hincapie, Matip offers much to his team’s offensive efforts, ranking among the top 4% of centre-backs for goals, the top 12% for passes attempted and the top 1% for progressive carries per 90.

Because of this, the Leverkusen gem looks to be a tailor-made replacement for his distinguished confrere, and given that he is also left-footed, he would slot right into the desired transfer plans of the Anfield side.

Matip favours the right side, but by replacing him with a naturally efficient left-footer, the domino effect could pay dividends for the squad’s cohesion and fluidity, allowing Van Dijk to shift onto his right and perhaps finally restore the equilibrium.

Matip also fell further and further into obscurity last season, starting just three of the final 15 league matches of the season as the Reds enjoyed a late-season purple patch, and was criticised for his “awful” displays by CBS reporter Nico Cantor.

The time for change is now on Merseyside, and given Hincapie’s age and profile as a centre-back, he would surely be the perfect option to strengthen Liverpool’s defence.

It now just remains to be seen whether Klopp and co will discuss terms with Bayer Leverkusen when the German side are demanding such an exorbitant fee.

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Liverpool set for $44m transfer reminder as Mohamed Salah can show if Jürgen Klopp missed out

Jürgen Klopp has been prioritizing his midfield department this summer, and rightly so considering that proved to be Liverpool’s biggest weakness last season, with the team finishing fifth in the Premier League table. A huge renovation job has been undertaken in the club’s engine room, with Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta all departing.

Those players have so far been replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, with Klopp nearing the end of his seismic rebuild in the middle of the park. Once his midfield department has been completely regenerated, the Reds seem likely to address their defensive line, with Joël Matip’s contract due to expire next year.

Liverpool has been interested in adding a new center-back this summer, but that need hasn’t ranked near the top of the to-do list on Merseyside. Interest in Levi Colwill was widely reported but after months of speculation, the English defender decided to stay at Chelsea, signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

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The Blues wonderkid has plenty of quality and potential attached to his profile, but he is also left footed. Klopp is said to have an interest in a left-footed option in defense, with Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté all right footed. In fact, the last left-footed center-back at Anfield was Ragnar Klavan.

Upon inspection of the rest of the Premier League, Klopp is competing against managers who have what he doesn’t. Pep Guardiola has new signing Joško Gvardiol and Nathan Aké at Manchester City. Mikel Arteta has two lefties in Gabriel Magalhães and Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal. Erik ten Hag has Lisandro Martínez at Manchester United after bringing him from Ajax last year, and Newcastle United has Sven Botman.

Indeed, Liverpool is scheduled to come up against the latter this weekend. Botman is a relatively new addition, having joined the Magpies from Lille just 12 months ago. The Dutchman is a physically imposing presence standing around 1.95m tall, he’s capable in possession, and he favors his left boot.

Still just 23 years old, he’s already proved to be a great capture for the Toon.

Photo by Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images

(Image: Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images)

Lille demanded around $44m (£35m/€41m) for Botman’s signature at the time, and that has since proved to be a solid investment. He appeared in all but two of Newcastle United’s 38 Premier League matches last term, having been named as a starter by Howe in 35 of them.

The Toon posted the joint-best defensive record with Botman as a fixed pillar of strength, conceding just 33 goals from 38 games, which was the same amount shipped by champions Manchester City.

The Dutch international was tipped for a move to Merseyside back in 2021, when Klopp was attempting to navigate a disastrous injury crisis in the heart of his defense. Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip all suffered season-ending injuries, which forced Liverpool to explore the market for a solution.

Klopp eventually ended up getting Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke — while also signing Ben Davies from Preston North End for a nominal fee — with Botman proceeding to remain in France for another 18 months before making the switch to Tyneside and competing in the Premier League.

As a left-sided center-back, he will come up against a certain Mohamed Salah this weekend, with Klopp set to be presented with a reminder of what might have been.

The Reds are still looking for a left-footed addition in the market as the transfer window approaches its closure at the end of the month, but if Liverpool had simply moved for Botman around two years ago, Klopp would have one less item on his to-do list right now.

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