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I’m not sure whether Jarell Quansah, 20, is ready to step up after just a handful of professional games in League One with Bristol Rovers. He could probably do with a loan. And so looking at the options, and some of the issues we’ve seen in pre-season, particularly with Matip, it feels like a defensive signing is needed. Ideally, it would be a young player who could develop over the next 12 months before taking over when Matip’s contract expires, but the trouble is that there is still so much to do in terms of finishing the midfield rebuild! That has to be the priority before anything is spent on a new centre-back.
I do also think that the ‘issues’ we have seen in pre-season would not necessarily be solved by simply signing a centre-back. Much of it stems from a lack of compactness and a lack of pressure on the ball higher up the pitch, which then leaves the last line exposed when opponents play around the press. And with Trent Alexander-Arnold spending as much time in midfield as he does at right-back, that means a lot of work for the right-sided centre-back. Konate will be earning overtime this season, he needs to stay fit!
Liverpool sources were saying earlier in the summer that £50m for Lavia was excessive, but that was before the departures of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson amplified their need for a midfielder. I get the impression that the club have looked at the market for potential No.6s/deep-lying midfielders and have not been too impressed, hence the fact they’ve circled back to Lavia. He’s certainly a gamble, given his age, the amount of games he’s played and the fact he’s a very different kind of player to Fabinho, more of a builder than a destroyer. The plus side is that he clearly has a high ceiling, his wages are relatively low and he wants to come to Liverpool. My feeling is that a compromise will be found, but it probably should have been found already.
Szoboszlai might need a little more time before he gets up to his top level, but there have certainly been signs of his potential in pre-season. He is clearly a very confident player, who always wants the ball and is technically very accomplished. He looks a good athlete and, having spoken briefly with him over in Germany after the Karlsruher SC friendly, he seems a solid character too. I think it’s fair to expect a slight adaptation period, in terms of the intensity of a new league and the specific demands of playing in a Klopp side, but I expect him to have a good impact this season.
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