Written by: James McHale @jamesmchale2607
It’s no secret that Liverpool have been tracking the sensational Ajax defender Matthjis de Ligt and why wouldn’t they? Liverpool have struggled to have more than 2 of their central defenders fit at any given time and now that we’ve become a side that is looking to compete both domestically and in Europe, we can afford to be relying on players who can’t stay fit for prolonged periods of time.
If Gomez played in any other position perhaps the fan base wouldn’t be so quick to look for another top-class defender, Naby Keita’s injury struggles in midfield being a prime example, but every top side looking to challenge needs a squad that is capable of rotating and without that depth this isn’t really possible right now. Gomez’s initial injury was worrying but with no signs of it recurring thus far it wouldn’t be fair to say that he is injury prone, especially when you remember that his recent leg fracture isn’t something likely to occur again in his career.
Matthjis de Ligt is an exceptional young talent and is a player capable of holding his own against seasoned veterans and doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. The term ‘generational talent’ is thrown around a lot in football to describe a player so good that he is head and shoulders above his peers and he is has been showing that he has earned such label, but do we honestly need such a player and can we justify such a hefty transfer fee?
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The interest of Barcelona, coupled with their recent acquisition of Frenkie de Jong, will surely drive up his transfer fee and whilst he may one day certainly warrant a fee of around £60m, it’s difficult to wrap your head around such a fee for a relatively inexperienced 19-year-old defender.
I’m just going to go out and say it: De Ligt isn’t an upgrade on Joe Gomez. In the Eredivisie De Ligt is averaging 1.2 tackles per game and 1.3 interceptions and whilst those are decent enough numbers and put him alongside some of the best, Gomez had been averaging 1.3 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game before his injury occurred. Both players are also excellent on the ball with the Dutchman completing 90% of his passes whilst Gomez is only slightly behind on 87%.
The one area De Ligt does top Gomez in is his offensive output with the youngster currently having 2 goals and 1 assist in the domestic league, compared to Gomez’s 0 goal contributions. The reason that Gomez has such a absent offensive contribution could be explained by his versatility, the Englishman can play anywhere across the defence and has seen himself rotated with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right, and the fact that he simply doesn’t shoot: the Englishman had been averaging 0.4 shots per game in the Premier League – De Ligt has been averaging 4 times that number.
The recent in De Ligt has been stirred up by his recent comments regarding a move to Liverpool with the Dutch international telling Omnisport: “It could happen [joining Liverpool]. He plays for Liverpool. A nice club. But I’m not focused on this. I focus on Ajax. And then I will see where I will end up.” These comments, coming alongside our recent defensive injury crisis, naturally riled up supporters with many believing that the possibility a partnership with his international captain and current Liverpool giant Van Dijk would leave us sorted for the foreseeable future.
The only problem with such a fantasy is that Joe Gomez would find opportunities hard to come by after he returns from injury and Liverpool would hardly be able to sideline De Ligt after shelling out on such a monstrous transfer fee. The argument in favour of signing De Ligt regardless hinges on Gomez being a rotation option at both centre-back and at right-back but after putting in such excellent performances in the centre, Gomez hasn’t looked as good as he once did when shunted out on the right.
In an ideal world we could be able to sign De Ligt and play with 3 central defenders, thereby avoiding such a selection nightmare and subsequently hindering Gomez’s growth as a player, but Liverpool have rarely played in such a way and a shift to that kind of system now could undo all of the progress made so far under Klopp’s tenure. Signing De Ligt wouldn’t make sense for Liverpool right now, instead the club would be wise to invest in a quality player who would be happy to settle for 3rd choice as this would add competition whilst still giving them an opportunity to force their way into the team.
Article by James McHale @jamesmchale2607
