Liverpool fans are asking the club to recruit a short-term solution to their center-back slump before the January window closes.
Injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, as well as the questionable physical form of Joel Matip, have forced Jurgen Klopp into unorthodox defensive pairs this season. Jordan Henderson and Fabinho had seemed to emerge as his options of choice recently, before an injury to the former forced inexperienced Rhys Williams to replace against Manchester United.
Williams hasn’t looked comfortable the entire campaign and his mistake led to the Red Devils’ second goal, highlighting how important it is for Liverpool to get stronger in the coming days. Here are some of the names they might consider bringing in.
Despite Watford’s relegation, Christian Kabasele did not play this badly last season.
Overall, the 29-year-old Belgian has 92 Premier League appearances to his name and is doing well for the Hornets in the league this time around.
His contract expires next summer, which means it wouldn’t cost much at all, and he would likely jump at the chance to sign a short-term contract with the Reds. The only problem is that a knee injury will likely keep him out until mid-February. Ah.
When Bournemouth was promoted to No.1 in 2015, few would have predicted Steve Cook would play 168 Premier League games for the Cherries over the next five seasons.
During his time in the top flight, Cook didn’t just make up the numbers, consistently finishing near the top of the defensive stat charts.
At 29, he’s in his prime, and with his contract expiring in five months, he could be worth a low-risk punt, even if he’s not glamorous.
If this is the experience Liverpool want, they don’t need to look any further than former Chelsea pillar Gary Cahill.
During his rich career, Cahill has won everything, including two Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups.
After a solid first campaign at Crystal Palace last time around, he has played sporadically this season. Palace are fortunate to have significant depth at center-back and with seemingly little to play for this quarter, they could be convinced to take advantage of a player they risk losing on a free play. this summer.
Somehow Neven Subotic is only 32 years old, which means he has a lot of miles left in his bandaged legs.
Last season the Serbian helped Union Berlin comfortably survive their first Bundesliga season and this summer he signed for Super Lig side Denizlispor.
However, his contract recently ended which means he is free to reunite with the man he has been so successful with at Borussia Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp.
Ezequiel Garay is one of the best-known names on the list and it wouldn’t cost a dime.
The Argentinian has been one of many players moved by Valencia this summer and he has a lot of La Liga and Champions League experience.
That said, there are some question marks about its relevance. First of all, he hasn’t played since suffering a serious knee injury in February and he’s not the fastest either, which suggests he could struggle on the defensive line. high from Liverpool.
Juan Jesus hasn’t had the best time of this one lately, But in 2018, he canceled Lionel Messi for a night out.
This suggests that beneath his slowness a good central defender is waiting to jump.
Roma also appear keen to take him off the books, so his transfer fee would be modest. Moreover, Liverpool fans might sing: “There is only one Jesus” which is a good reason to make this deal.
Aleksandar Dragovic has already proven himself to be the Premier League standard, enjoying a solid (ish) loan at Leicester a few years ago.
He featured prominently for Bayer Leverkusen this season, but recently lost his place in the squad.
With the end of his contract, he could be tempted to return to the Premier League before the end of the month.
No, this is not a joke.
In points last season, Shkodran Mustafi looked pretty good and he was even linked with a move to Barcelona.
By taking the German on loan until the end of the season, Liverpool really downgrade to what they currently own? Probably not.
Wait, is it 2016 again ?!
The last time Steven Caulker was at Liverpool he was used as an assistant center-forward, creating a brilliant joke in the process.
Since then, the center-back has rebuilt his reputation alongside Super Lig Alanyaspor, which means this unlikely reunion could not be as fancy as it sounds.
it’s still pretty fancy.
Desperate times call for desperate action and Klopp may need to mend his fractured relationship with Mamadou Sakho for the sake of the team.
The duo reportedly fell in 2017, after the defender broke several club rules.
However, Sakho could be a solid (very) short-term solution to Liverpool’s lack of defensive options.
