Latest news with #centreback
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool's next signing is starting to unveil
Liverpool's next signing is starting to unveil and it's not Alexander Isak. Of course the Swede is still a priority target for the Reds. But his saga could drag on for a while. This doesn't mean that Liverpool won't sign him, merely that given it's a deal of huge magnitude, it's going to take a long time to iron out the details. LFC Kits Shop Now LFC x New Era Shop Now LFC Signed Merch Shop Now LFC x Titleist Shop Now But in the meantime, there is another priority area where Richard Hughes will want to add more depth to Arne Slot's squad. With Joe Gomez travelling back home from pre-season due to an injury, it has exposed a great need at centre-back for the Reds. Liverpool have already lost Jarell Quansah this summer, and they now have just two senior centre-back on tour in pre-season in Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. This has seen Slot play Luca Stephenson, Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas at centre-back. It's becoming very apparent after the four goals conceded against AC Milan that this situation is not tenable going into the season. Liverpool need more depth in the centre-back positions, especially considering Konate and Gomez are both injury prone. This is therefore the obvious next transfer Hughes is going to sort out. And while the first name everyone will gravitate to is Marc Guehi, he might not be the clear choice. In fact, Liverpool may already be targeting someone else in the position, who could be an even better fit.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Liverpool have spent close to £300m this summer – but centre-back depth still needs addressing
Arne Slot had captain Virgil van Dijk sitting alongside him for a joint post-match press conference at Hong Kong's Kai Tak stadium when the conversation turned to Liverpool's centre-back situation. 'I'm looking to my left, I don't think we have a concern at centre-back,' smiled Slot. There are certainly no worries when it comes to Van Dijk. The Dutch defender, who was 34 this month, was imperious as he led Liverpool to Premier League glory last season and looks refreshed and ready to go again after benefiting from an extended break this summer. Advertisement But a source of angst for supporters is the lack of depth in that department of the squad. Jarell Quansah was sold to Bayer Leverkusen in a £35million deal, while Joe Gomez flew home early from the tour of Asia due to discomfort in his Achilles. It leaves Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as the only fit senior centre-backs. With Slot not wanting to give each of them more than 45 minutes in Saturday's friendly against AC Milan, he was forced to turn to midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and left-back Kostas Tsimikas to play there. 'Ryan showed that he can play that position,' Slot insisted. 'He did it last season as well. Although we all know that we favour him as a No 6. 'Wata (Endo) can also play centre-back. Joe Gomez only has a minor injury. He's been good for us last season as well. We have enough options left but it's true that Jarell left and we haven't replaced him.' There must have been some kidology from Slot. After all, if you start talking publicly about how much you need to recruit a certain profile of player then prices tend to shoot up. But the reality is that for all the focus on a potential British-transfer-record bid for Alexander Isak if Newcastle United soften their stance over the Sweden striker not being for sale, buying a centre-back should be at the top of Liverpool's remaining priorities in this summer of change at Anfield. A spending spree that stands close to £300m, if you factor in performance related add-ons, has seen the champions buy two young dynamic full-backs in Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, and add creativity and firepower with the exciting deals for Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. The goalkeeping department has been overhauled, with Alisson now having cover in the form of Giorgi Mamardashvili and Freddie Woodman. But there has been no extra cover recruited for the heart of the back line. Liverpool have long since been looking for a talented young centre-back who could develop and grow into the role. Advertisement Two years ago, they were interested in Chelsea's Levi Colwill but he ended speculation over his future by penning a new contract at Stamford Bridge. Last summer, Liverpool considered a move for Lille's Leny Yoro but he wanted guarantees about playing time and ended up joining Manchester United. This summer, Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen was admired but Real Madrid won the battle for his services. Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace has a different profile given that he's 25 and an established England international, but he is down to the final year of his contract which means it's a market opportunity Liverpool have discussed. The price would need to be right though and Guehi would need to be willing to embrace the challenge of becoming a first-choice pick. Even if Gomez's spell on the sidelines does prove to be brief, it would be a gamble for Liverpool to push on with what they have got. The club's longest serving player missed the second half of last season with a hamstring injury and has had to endure more than his fair share of misfortune during his decade at Anfield. Konate was among those who benefited from the new training regime under Slot last season as he clocked up 42 appearances — more than in any other season since he arrived from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021. He is also down to the final year of his contract as discussions rumble on. Playing Gravenberch or Endo at centre-back might work against lesser opposition when Slot's side are guaranteed to dominate possession. However, it would be a risk in the bigger matches, especially when you want Gravenberch pulling the strings in the No 6 role he made his own in 2024-25. There's a warning from the not-too-distant past. When Liverpool last won the Premier League title five years ago, they sold Dejan Lovren to Zenit St Petersburg and didn't replace him as they went into the following season with three specialist senior centre-backs. Van Dijk, Gomez and Joel Matip all subsequently suffered serious injuries which meant that Liverpool ended up scrambling into the Champions League spots thanks to the efforts of rookies Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips during the run-in. The midfield had been destabilised by initially playing Jordan Henderson and Fabinho back there. Advertisement Slot bemoaned how Liverpool looked so vulnerable to counter-attacks in the 4-2 defeat to Milan. 'That probably also had something to do with us missing seven senior players,' he said. 'We wanted to give 20 players some playing time. As a result of that too many players didn't play in their own position.' Slot expects Ekitike to make his first Liverpool appearance against J1 League strugglers Yokohama F Marinos in Japan on Wednesday. The new signing from Eintracht Frankfurt wasn't involved in Hong Kong having only trained with his new team-mates for the first time the day before the game. Darwin Nunez and Endo should be involved after sitting out the game against Milan due to minor fitness issues but there remains a question mark over whether Alexis Mac Allister will feature. 'Alexis hasn't trained with the team yet but the idea is for him to do parts of the sessions on Monday and Tuesday,' Slot said. 'I'm not too sure if he will play minutes in the game. Wata, Darwin and Hugo will. The team will have a different look and feel to it.' The reinforcements should help ensure this tour ends on a high but there is still a gap in the squad defensively that needs filling.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Star jets out as Liverpool's centre-back search steps up
Liverpool are on the hunt for a centre-back as their defensive situation is constantly changing. Despite agreeing a new contract in November 2024, we saw Jarell Quansah join Leverkusen this summer for a deal of around £35m. The young Englishman will now need to be replaced accordingly. Shop the LFC Store LFC x New Era Shop Now LFC Signed Merch Shop Now LFC x Titleist Shop Now Finding someone to play the third centre-back role behind Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate is easier said than done, even though the captain is only contracted until 2027 and the Frenchman is assessing his options while in the middle of contract talks with the club right now. It's plausible that Liverpool have a pathway available into the team to play a starting role, but if the fans' hopes and wishes are met, then any new signing might be resigned to the bench for the season. Liverpool's defensive problems evolve once more But the afternoon, we were given yet another reason to suggest that the Reds will be in the market for a centre-back and that is primarily off the back of Joe Gomez's inability to be regularly available. It's true that Liverpool have three players that can play the position of need, but in reality, we're actually talking about two, because sadly Gomez can't be relied upon across an entire season. Throughout his 10-year spell with us, we've seen a mixture of different campaigns. At times, he's played a full role in the team, breaching the 3000-minute mark, but at others, he's been absent. Last season was sadly an example of the latter, completing 886 minutes across all competitions and this afternoon, he was dismissed from Liverpool's preseason tour of Asia with an injury concern.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Man United 'scout 6ft 5in centre back compared to Rodri as Harry Maguire's long-term successor' - but Red Devils 'face competition from European heavyweights for versatile youngster'
Manchester United are reportedly scouting a dominant 6ft 5in Norwegian centre-back who could be Harry Maguire 's long-term replacement. With the 32-year-old entering the final year of his United contract, Ruben Amorim and United bosses are thought to have already begun looking for his successor. The Red Devils sent scouts to look at Norwegian side Brann's 20-year-old wonderkid Eivind Helland earlier this month as his side took on Viking Stavanger. The centre-half has been described as a commanding defender, whose dominance in aerial duals gives him a 'strong presence', according to former Premier League player Jan Age Fjortoft. Likened to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri by his manager at the start of the season, Helland captained Norway's Under-21s to a 4-0 victory over Wales in June. But if United are to secure the youngster's services, they'll have to beat off competition from some of Europe's biggest clubs. Just a couple of weeks after United scouts made the trip to Scandinavia, Bayern Munich followed suit, with German scouts watching Helland and his side lose 2-0 to KFUM in Oslo at the weekend. Borussia Dortmund and Red Bull Salzburg - two clubs with a reputation for discovering some of the continent's best talent - are also keeping tabs on the situation, according to The Sun. But United's links to the Norwegian talent come after Ruben Amorim admitted the club need to be 'careful' about making signings, saying he would be happy to go into next season with the squad he's assembled now. The former Sporting Lisbon manager's first summer at the helm has so far seen United bolster their ranks with the signings of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo. But United fans will no-doubt want to see further additions, with the club's eagerness to bring in a striker heavily rumoured. Amorim, however, said: 'I think our club, in the moment, need to be really careful when we sign a player. So if we have to start the season with this squad, I'm happy. Because all the players that are here want to be here, and that for me is the most important thing. 'With Bryan and Matheus, we are clearly a better team. They can play as a striker. I'm really pleased because they proved that the goals they have. They are really humble, that is really important. 'The best thing is that they chose to be here. They had other options, Champions League options. And they read everything people say about our club in the moment, but they chose to be here and that is a key point for me. 'They have other players that are fighting for that position. We have Josh (Zirkzee), we have Rasmus (Hojlund), so our focus is to improve the connection between them. I don't know if the positions are there for them. They have to work.' The Red Devils were believed to have been interested in the highly-sought after Viktor Gyokeres, but the 27-year-old striker looks set to seal a move to Arsenal. United have too been linked with moves for Premier League-proven frontmen Ollie Watkins and Nicolas Jackson in recent weeks. And in a bid to replace the struggling Andre Onana, United made a loan move for Villa keeper Emi Martinez earlier this week. Unai Emery and club officials however rejected the proposal.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Real Madrid ready to admit DEFEAT over Ibrahima Konate
Bubbling away in the background of a landmark Liverpool summer transfer window has been the saga of . The Reds under sporting director have been busy adding quality all over the pitch - with Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili all arriving. LFC x New Era Shop Now LFC Signed Merch Shop Now LFC x Titleist Shop Now But centre-back has been suggested as an area potentially in need of attention considering the contract situation revolving around Konate. The 26-year-old has got less than 12 months left on his current deal - expiring in June 2026. So far there has been no breakthrough over a new deal - with it earlier reported that the France defender would be seeking £200k per week to renew. Konate a priority Madrid target However those reports were superseded by ones stating that Konate had made up his mind and would DECLINE a renewal from the Reds. Liverpool, it was mooted, would be powerless to prevent Konate from running down his deal and joining Real Madrid for free in 2026. Only things are not working out that way. Madrid have got reason to believe that adding Konate as a new free transfer is not going to be as easy as they first thought. First came the reports from France declaring that Liverpool had made a new contract offer to Konate. Madrid plot Konate Plan B And while that offer has not been answered as yet, it was enough to scare the Madrid media into reporting that adding Konate was now tougher than ever. That's been followed up with a report in Defensa Central which states that Xabi Alonso is now activating Plan B as Konate slips from their grasp. 'Xabi Alonso is seriously considering the possibility of counting on Joan Martínez,' the report reads, adding that the Madrid academy graduate is now due a promotion. © IMAGO Madrid rolling back from Konate claims The reason for the 17-year-old being drafted into the first-team picture is increasing uncertainty over the fate of Konate. Madrid media are now rowing back from their previous claims that the Konate deal was all but done. That should give us an indication of how they feel Liverpool contract talks are going to go. Konate should take a look around at what Liverpool have added this summer and provided the club can match his demands he needs to commit his future long-term to the reigning Premier League title holders.
