Why missing out on Mathijs De Ligt would be a huge loss for Liverpool
According to the Mirror, Liverpool are set to to miss out on teenage Dutch sensation Mathijs De Ligt after reports emerged that Spanish champions Barcelona are in pole position to sign the defender. The 19-year-old has been in superb form since breaking into the Netherlands senior side.
Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk has admitted that the youngster is on Klopp’s radar but Barcelona scouts watched the teenager in action against France, a game in which he bossed at the back.
Alongside Van Dijk, De Ligt has created a formidable bond in the defence. The youngster expertly handled the devastating Kylian Mbappe, who he kept quiet for most of the game. The Netherlands went on to clinch a surprise win against the world champions.
Not only did they not concede in that game, but the Van Dijk-De Ligt partnership seemed astute. Ever since the former Southampton star arrived at Anfield this year, the Reds have conceded the least number of league goals across Europe’s top five leagues.
They are also unbeaten at home in the league for more than a year, breaking the previous record set by Barcelona. The Reds have conceded just 5 goals in the league this season with only Manchester City able to keep that up. But Liverpool can definitely strengthen their defence further if they can lure Mathijs De Ligt.
Defender Joel Matip has also been linked with an exit from the club, with new Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri interested in the Cameroon international. Though Joe Gomez has been in supreme form in central defence and Lovren has stepped up his performances after the World Cup, Liverpool are definitely going to need another centre-back should Matip leave.
Gomez is naturally a full-back, and there’s no clarity as to whether Klopp has decided to use him as a centre-back for the foreseeable future given that Trent Alexander-Arnold has no cover in his position. Dejan Lovren has also been far too inconsistent in his time at the club.
De Ligt certainly possesses all the qualities to flourish under Klopp. The teenager is lightning fast with and without the ball as he showed against Kylian Mbappe a few days ago. He is also very comfortable with the ball at his feet and is capable of driving forward from the back.
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Liverpool would definitely be a force to reckon with if they could add De Ligt to their squad. The Reds are a team currently on the up and a defender like De Ligt, who has shown so much promise and maturity in his displays, would definitely help them pick up their first piece of silverware under Jurgen Klopp.