Replacing Three Unicorns
Who could Liverpool sign to replace Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold?
The current international break has been ongoing for the past nine years two weeks, but don’t worry, it’s nearly over. It’s almost time for the real stuff to return. The stuff involving our beloved Reds.
To conclude the last fortnight, I’m going to dedicate a final piece to one of my paid subscriber questions from last week. As expected, I wasn’t able to answer every submission in this week’s Q&A episode, so this is my last attempt at making up some ground.
Alright, so here’s the question in full, courtesy of Kevlar Slappywag, who asks:
“While I hope they all stay — and I know these are all effectively unicorns from a data perspective — in the event of all of the three contracts expiring, any ideas on potential replacements?”
So this feels like a popular topic that every supporter is curious about. If, God forbid, all three players depart next summer, who on earth could Liverpool sign to replace them?
I’d ordinarily take this sort of question very seriously. If any of those players do actually leave in 2025, I’ll probably dedicate a series to replacing them by leaving no stone unturned.
Today, I’m not going to be as meticulous. Rather than focusing too much on wages, contract length, availability and transfer fees, I’m just going to focus on the players.
I’ll exclude the likes of Kylian Mbappé and William Saliba et al. for obvious reasons, but for the most part, I’ll just name a few players who I think could prove to be suitable to fill each void based on things like age, tactics, numbers and footedness.
Some of them will be more readymade than others. Some of them will be more realistic than others. Some of them will undoubtedly cost more than others. But it’s cool, this is only a bit of fun for now.
When Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold all announce their departures — which hopefully never happens — then we can start talking about misery and fine print.
First up, Van Dijk.
Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)
The best of the lot, in my view. This guy is 25 years old and he’s pretty good at everything. The Italian is a two-time winner of Serie A and he’s left footed, which you’ll find is a common theme here. There aren’t many righties on this list. Good luck getting him out of Milan, though. And even if you manage to convince the player to leave, he’s going to cost a fortune.
Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund)
Probably my second-favourite option. Offers genuine value on the ball, good size, prime age, scores goals. Also starts for the German national team. Might be prone to the odd error. But I like him, really good.
Castello Lukeba (RB Leipzig)
The suits at Liverpool tend to like players from within the Red Bull system. I don’t think Lukeba is another Ibrahima Konaté, but he’s only 21 with lots of room to improve. Wouldn’t arrive as the finished article any time soon.
Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur)
Unlikely to happen, but he’s pretty good. Van De Ven is probably faster than you, he’s tall and sound in the air, and he’s accustomed to English football.
Levi Colwill (Chelsea)
Again, super unlikely to happen, but you just never know with Chelsea. Colwill hasn’t done that much since his successful spell on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion, but how much of that is his fault? Thriving at Stamford Bridge is hard nowadays. The player is still good, and he’s still only 21.
António Silva (Benfica)
Potentially the next great European defender. A big personality by all accounts, and he’s very good on the ball. He’s not the quickest, nor is he as much of a physical specimen as Van Dijk or Konaté, but he’ll move to a giant soon. He’s right footed which isn’t ideal, but like our captain, he tends to play on the left of a back two.
Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP)
One of the best players in possession on this list, but arguably the most fragile in terms of his physical attributes. He’s kinda built like a full-back who has been lifting a few weights, but he’s super progressive. No player in Portugal posted more progressive passes than him last term. And he placed second by the same numbers in the season before.
Sven Botman (Newcastle United)
Good. I’ve liked him for years dating back to my Analysing Anfield days with the Liverpool Echo. Massive, 24, proven in England, left footed, decent on the ball. But not that fast and sometimes changes direction like the Titanic.
Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)
Come on, this one would just be really funny above everything else. But aside from annoying our neighbours, Branthwaite is good, although you’d buy him because of what he could become rather than what he is right now. He’s already massive and homegrown, only 22. Probably needs to improve in the air and in possession, but lots of potential here.
Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen)
To me, it feels like Hincapié is more Jürgen Klopp than Arne Slot, but nevertheless, he does tick boxes. Has experience as a full-back, only 22, offers value on the ball. But why doesn’t Xabi Alonso start him more? He’s also not that much of a physical unit, and Liverpool tend to put a lot of weight on that sort of thing, which doesn’t bode well for him.
Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace)
I’ll be honest, I’m not that keen on this one. Guéhi is fine, but he’s not worth close to what Newcastle United nearly paid for him this summer. Offers very little offensive value, not that amazing in the air, not built like a vending machine, and he’s not even left footed. I’d steer clear unless his price dropped below £50m.
Murillo (Nottingham Forest)
Meh, he’s alright. Worth keeping an eye on, but I’m really not sure yet.
Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain)
Moved to Paris this summer, and looks good. I imagine he would’ve likely been on Liverpool’s shortlist of defenders over the summer, assuming they had one. Still only 22, but this ship might have sailed.
Jorrel Hato (Ajax)
Simply not ready yet, but it’s always cool when a centre-back talent emerges from Ajax. Hato is only 18, but he’s already playing a lot in the Eredivisie. His development is worth tracking.
Strahinja Pavlović (AC Milan)
Just moved to the San Siro. Only 23 years old, really good size. And he’s also got somewhat of a Red Bull background given his time in Salzburg. We might see him in action against Liverpool next week. A switch to Anfield feels unlikely given his recent transfer, but I’m interested in him.
Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Seems to have replaced Pacho in Frankfurt? Has some experience as a full-back. Looks decent but I don’t think his ceiling is particularly high. He’s fine and functional. Questions marks as to whether he’s good enough. Don’t forget, we’re talking about Liverpool here.
Now, it’s time for Salah.
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