Scouting Centre-Backs: Part 4
The fourth instalment of a series dedicated to finding a new centre-back for Liverpool.
So after two weeks of thinking time, we’ve arrived at the main event.
I debated releasing this post at midnight, purely as a means of creating that Stranger Things hype. Twilight, Harry Potter, Scouting Centre-Backs. All of the greats release the finale at midnight.
We started with over 2,000 players, and just 28 remain in the process. For those who don’t know how we got here, I’d recommend reading the first three posts before this one.
So I’ve been weighing up how to do this piece, because 28 players is still quite a lot. I’m not sure it’s worth covering every single one of them. These are the guys who remain:
Jan Paul Van Hecke, Murillo, Marc Guéhi, David Carmo, Jérémy Jacquet, Charlie Cresswell, Abdulai Juma Bah, Strahinja Pavlović, Chrislain Matsima, Isak Hien, Luka Vušković, Leopold Querfeld, Nico Schlotterbeck, Edmond Tapsoba, Oumar Solet, Albian Hajdari, Tiago Gabriel, Tarik Muharemović, Obite N’Dicka, Nathan Collins, Trevoh Chalobah, Mario Gila, Loïc Badé, Maxime Estève, Maxence Lacroix, Rafa Marín, Jacobo Ramón, Konstantinos Koulierakis.
I’m essentially going to pick out the guys who I like. There are some players who I wouldn’t sign, some players who I would potentially take a gamble on, and some who I’m pretty convinced about.
Let’s go.
Nico Schlotterbeck
So I’m going to start with a player who I knew I’d sign before this process even started. Schlotterbeck has been on my radar for some time, he’s 26 years old now, and his contract at Borussia Dortmund expires in 18 months.
He arguably ticks more boxes than anyone. Schlotterbeck is a full international with plenty of experience, he’s 6-foot-3 and — while he isn’t quite as physically dominant as our current guys — he’s golden in possession of the ball.
The German would offer build-up solutions like Trent Alexander-Arnold. He switches the play a lot. Loves passing long. Also has experience as a left-back, meaning if Liverpool signed him, he could do bits when Virgil van Dijk needs a rest, while also replacing Andy Robertson in the squad given the Scot has just six months left on his contract.
Jan Paul Van Hecke
Another easy win as far as I’m concerned. Like Schlotterbeck, Van Hecke also has 18 months left on his contract. He’s equally elite on the ball — albeit in a slightly different way — and he’s proven in the Premier League, too.
The Brighton and Hove Albion defender is primed for a move at 25 years old. And he’s right footed, meaning he could act as a partner for Van Dijk and as a successor to Ibrahima Konaté, who might leave on a free in the summer.
Van Hecke isn’t quite as much of a physical freak as some of the other candidates, but he’s very competitive and isn’t a pushover by any means. Ultimately, his ability to add real value in possession would make him worth every penny.
