Despite a strong start from Liverpool in their Champions League Last-16 tie against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, a disastrous second-half performance sees the Reds trail 5-2, with only the most optimistic fans anticipating a turnaround in the second leg.
Jürgen Klopp’s side have looked shaky defensively for much of this season. Joe Gomez was singled out for criticism on the night and the previously reliable Joël Matip has struggled in recent weeks against the likes of Wolves and Brighton.
There is a growing clamour for reinforcements at centre half. One of the stars of the last year’s World Cup, Joško Gvardiol, described Liverpool as his ‘dream club’ in an interview with Croatian TV. Gvardiol is the latest name to be linked with a big-money move away from RB Leipzig. Could he follow the path of Ibou Konaté and Naby Keita?
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked goal.com’s Neil Jones for his take on the Gvardiol rumours.
Liverpool’s Defensive Transfer Plans EXPLAINED
Neil said:
“I think he’s going to go to a top club. I think Marco Rose the coach said something along the lines of he will be a Leipzig player next season. He’s made no secret of the fact he wants to play in the Premier League, but he has never said when. He’s going to play in the Premier League, I think, quite clearly.
“He’s going to play in the Premier League, he’s going to go for big money, there’s no question about it. You look at him, left-sided centre-back – rare in themselves – high level, good on the ball. He looks like a winner to me.
“Gvardiol is a left-sided centre-back, that’s Virgil’s side. Succession planning would tell you a left-sided centre back in the next year or two definitely must be on the agenda.
“I haven’t heard Gvardiol suggested like he’s ‘the one’ Liverpool want. If he isn’t on a list, then they are not doing their jobs properly. There are not many world-class centre-backs that I see, potential world-class centre-backs.
“If Liverpool are going to bring in a new centre-back, it’s going to be a Matip replacement, which probably rules out Gvardiol at this stage because of the price, and also where he plays. I think it would be a right-sided centre-back.”
Redmen Reacts
Like something out of Channel 4’s Grand Designs, Liverpool’s summer rebuild is getting bigger and costlier by the week! Centre-half is beginning to look like a problem position. Injury doubts hang over all of the Reds’ current crop, with the exception of Nat Phillips, who was carved from the finest Lancastrian granite. If Gvardiol’s manager is to be believed, then the Croatian will be spending at least another year in East Germany. The Reds have waited patiently for both of their previous big-money signings from RB Leipzig, so fingers crossed that history will repeat itself. Faith in Joe Gomez is dwindling quickly amongst fans, if not the manager. With central midfield the priority in terms of summer spending, it looks unlikely that records will be broken this year, as they were for Virgil van Dijk.
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