A big part of Liverpool’s success in 2019/20 was that they were able to maintain a consistency of selection in several key areas. Virgil van Dijk played every minute of every league match, and only missed one game in any competition – the Club World Cup semi-final – through injury.
It was a similar story for Joe Gomez, whose only absence occurred at Watford (and he won’t have minded missing that debacle). Jurgen Klopp will be looking back fondly on such times, after he used his 15th and 16th different central defensive pairings of the season in the 3-1 win at Tottenham on Thursday night.
And with Joel Matip having sustained what is believed to be a significant ankle injury during the victory in north London, the Liverpool manager is facing the second half of 2020/21 with only midfielders and inexperienced defenders as his options to play at centre-back.
It seems obvious that the club need to sign some cover, but it won’t be easy. Premier League clubs have collectively paid transfer fees for just four players in the January transfer window as it enters its final weekend, with the market largely devoid of serious activity.
Nonetheless, the situation has reached crisis point for Liverpool and it’s not hyperbole to state that their hopes of a successful campaign may hinge on whether or not they can complete a signing before the window closes.
It’s not as if there aren’t any options either. There are plenty of centre-backs who have entered the final months of their contracts, and will be free to leave their present clubs in the summer should they choose to.
Top of the tree is David Alaba, who has been previously linked with a move to Anfield, and would be a superb signing for the Reds. But with time and money tight, the club may have to set their sights understandably lower. Perhaps they could target a player who is out of favour and not playing at the moment so won’t cost them too much, or maybe look at a loan deal to save a parent club some wage expenditure?
As any signing would need to hit the ground running, it may be prudent to aim for an experienced veteran who might be more likely to slot in seamlessly. When looking at a list of options of eligible centre-backs in their thirties, it’s safe to rule out Sergio Ramos – who is less popular with Liverpool fans than Jordan Pickford is – while Mamadou Sakho has no chance of making a sensational return to the club.
But what about his teammate, boyhood Liverpool fan Scott Dann? The 33-year-old has only played eight league matches this season, and hasn’t featured in any of Crystal Palace’s last five league games.
It might be six years since he was the Eagles’ player of the year, but he has over 200 Premier League appearances under his belt and can provide experience to a central defence which will now sorely lack it.
Gary Cahill has been underused too, and has certainly hit higher peaks than Dann across his career, so could provide a short-term fix before his contract expires in the summer. It seems Palace are going to need some centre-backs ahead of 2021/22, doesn’t it?
Looking beyond south London, Lamine Kone – formerly of Sunderland – has Premier League experience and his Strasbourg contract is drawing to a close. The Ivory Coast defender would bring height and aerial ability to a backline which can lack that when Matip and van Dijk are absent, he presses well at the back and has only made a couple of defensive errors in the last three seasons.
Another player who is strong in the air and might be available is Napoli’s Nikola Maksimovic, though he has already been linked with the likes of Everton and West Ham, so Liverpool might have to join a queue if they wish to make a move.
The 29-year-old is actually top of Serie A for passing accuracy this season (per FBRef), and was eighth for percentage of dribblers tackled in 2019/20, so could perhaps slot in without too much fuss.
It’s entirely probable that none of the names on this list are who Liverpool would ideally sign given ideal conditions. But they’re a long way short of that situation right now, and any centre-back that is theoretically available should be given some serious consideration over the next few days.
