Liverpool are the reigning Premier League champions, however are they resting on their laurels? Completely not.
£116m man Florian Wirtz is within the constructing, joined by the thrilling duo of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, signed for £29.5m and £40m apiece. The highest-flight’s second-best defence in 2024/25 will seemingly have a contemporary really feel to it subsequent season.
Certainly, Kerkez seems destined to usurp the long-serving Andy Robertson at left-back, whereas Frimpong will battle Conor Bradley to exchange he-who-shall-not-be-named on the best flank.
With Giorgi Mamardashvili additionally set for his belated arrival at Anfield, there might even be a choice to be made within the sticks, not least with present primary, Alisson, having been beset with harm issues lately.
An additional shake-up might additionally lie in retailer with regard to Virgil van Dijk’s new companion at centre-back, with the uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate’s future solely heightening the necessity for competitors on the coronary heart of the defence.
Van Dijk apart, there’s a probability for Arne Slot to deploy an nearly fully new-look defensive unit for 2025/26, with the seek for a brand new centre-back nonetheless underway.
Newest on Liverpool’s centre-back search
With Konate attracting curiosity from Actual Madrid, with only a yr left on his present deal, the Reds should certainly purchase a senior centre-back for the primary time because the Frenchman’s personal arrival in 2021 – not least with Jarell Quansah becoming a member of Bayer Leverkusen.
Marc Guehi, skipper down at Crystal Palace, is at present the title on all people’s lips, with latest studies even going so far as to recommend that non-public phrases have been agreed with the 24-year-old Englishman.
That mentioned, options are nonetheless being thought-about in keeping with additional hypothesis, with the Each day Mail’s Simon Jones noting that the Merseysiders are plotting whether or not to proceed in talks for Guehi or Ajax starlet, Jorrel Hato.
The latter man – who’s reportedly valued at round £40m – has beforehand been touted with a transfer to Anfield, with now maybe the possibility to ramp up that curiosity within the highly-rated 19-year-old.
Guehi, in fact, gives confirmed Premier League high quality and expertise, however the younger Dutchman should simply be even higher…
Why Hato might be an improve on Guehi
It is honest to say that the Reds have already reaped the rewards of signing a Dutch expertise schooled within the Netherlands, with former Groningen starlet Van Dijk making his solution to Merseyside in January 2018, by way of stints at Celtic and Southampton.
Now the captain and chief of Liverpool, the 6 foot 5 titan has been a really monstrous determine for the membership to this point, with former striker Michael Owen even going so far as to recommend that the 33-year-old is the “greatest centre-half of all time”.
Whereas Hato – who operates at left centre-back like Van Dijk, in addition to left-back – has some solution to go to achieve the degrees of his compatriot, the likeness between the pair has already been famous, together with by journalist Jorn Alders:
“He will be an possibility. He is a extremely huge expertise. Not totally much like Van Dijk however he has his physique. He has a superb method. He is robust and he is extraordinarily quick, so he has any weapons to enhance within the Premier League, I believe,” Aalders mentioned.
“He is so younger. He is nonetheless 19 however already he’s the primary selection possibility within the Netherlands for the left-back place and he is top-of-the-line gamers in that squad.”
Tipped to observe in Van Dijk’s footsteps, Hato has been praised for his “immense” high quality by expertise scout Jacek Kulig, having already made 111 appearances for Ajax earlier than turning 20. For comparability, the aforementioned Guehi was 19 when he made his debut at senior stage for Chelsea within the League Cup.
|
Hato’s League stats in 2024/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (*per recreation) |
Document |
|
Video games (begins) |
31 (30) |
|
Targets |
2 |
|
Assists |
6 |
|
Huge possibilities created |
6 |
|
Key passes* |
0.6 |
|
Cross accuracy* |
90% |
|
Tackles & interceptions* |
2.6 |
|
Balls recovered* |
4.2 |
|
Dribbled previous* |
0.3 |
|
Stats by way of Sofascore |
|
Not solely extra versatile than the Englishman as a result of his capability to characteristic at full-back, {the teenager} additionally seems to own higher composure and high quality in possession, as proven by his 90% move completion price within the Eredivisie final time period, as per Sofascore, alongside averaging 0.6 key passes per recreation. Guehi, in the meantime, averaged 84% and 0.5 for those self same two metrics, respectively.
Whereas each males made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per recreation in 2024/25, curiously, Hato appeared the extra resolute defender, having been dribbled previous on simply 0.3 events, whereas the Palace captain averaged 0.5 in that regard.
Arguably “some of the gifted CBs of his era in Europe”, in keeping with Kulig, the Netherlands U21 star is already shining on the age of simply 19, with it really thrilling to think about what he can go onto obtain.
Guehi, in fact, could characterize a ready-made resolution, however as doubtlessly the person who might show to be the subsequent Van Dijk, Hato could nicely have the upper ceiling.
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