Liverpool have been urged by one prominent journalist to make a ‘common sense’ signing before the end of the summer transfer window.
The Reds have already confirmed two new faces for Andoni Iraola’s squad in Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz, thus bolstering their options in central defence and on the left-hand side of attack, and more additions are expected before the 1 September deadline.
Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola remains a primary target for the Merseysiders, although they’ve been advised to prioritise a separate position on the pitch in order to address the injury concerns which partly compromised our fortunes last season.
In a piece for the Liverpool Echo, Ian Doyle explained why the signing of an experienced and versatile defender is a must for LFC this summer.
He wrote: ‘The Reds really can’t afford to go into a third successive campaign with worries about a lack of personnel niggling away at the back of the mind of new head coach Andoni Iraola.
‘Nobody is saying stockpile talent, but common sense points to the fact Liverpool really could do with one more experienced versatile defender at Iraola’s disposal – preferably one who can operate in either full-back position.
‘Now they don’t come cheap, but there are certainly plenty around who could do the job, and they will be more than worth their outlay should they ease the burden on those already at the club, most notably at right-back.
‘For Liverpool not to so do would already ramp up the pressure on Iraola before he has barely got his feet under the table at Anfield.’
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In effect, what Doyle is advocating for is a younger version of Joe Gomez, someone who’s equally comfortable playing at centre-back or on the wings.
One such option who appears to tick several important boxes is Jules Kounde, with recent reports suggesting that the French defender might be a viable summer signing for Liverpool.
Mark Brus outlined for the Daily Briefing that the Reds are ‘keeping an eye on developments’ regarding the 27-year-old’s situation at Barcelona, who’ve deemed him ‘expendable’ and made him available on the market for £55m, a reduction on his previous asking price.
Kounde would give Iraola an experienced high-level option at centre-back or right-back, and the LaLiga champions’ apparent openness to selling the France international could also play into our hands if we were to make an approach for him.
As shown by Fotmob data comparing him with positional peers in the Spanish top flight last season, the Barcelona powerhouse ranks very highly for attributes such as duel success, ball recovery, tackling and – something that Iraola would especially love – winning possession in the final third of the pitch.
If Liverpool are to act upon Doyle’s pleas to bring in a versatile defender this summer, they’d be hard pressed to find a better option than the 27-year-old at Camp Nou.
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Common sense… could you please tell Hughes this? I don’t think he actually grasps this. Looks like our main squad is playing under 21’s this season…
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