Why Liverpool should sign versatile defender Benjamin Pavard
Liverpool have made a record-breaking start to their league season and are rightly in contention to challenge Manchester City all the way for the title. The Reds now hold another record of conceding the joint-least amount of goals after the first 16 league games of a particular top-flight season. Chelsea did that twice.
Hence, it is an indicator that Jurgen Klopp’s men are going in the right direction because their attack will always have goals in them to win games. The Merseysiders are now slowly mastering the art of managing games, which is very important when a title challenge needs to be sustained, especially against a team as relentless as City.
Moving slightly away from lauding the defence, the Reds have been dealt with huge injury blows in that department. Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are set to miss a month’s football, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is out for a couple of weeks. Given Nathaniel Clyne’s dodgy fitness, Liverpool are effectively without a senior right-back, although they have Rafa Camacho from the academy.
What we also know is that Dejan Lovren and Matip are not as fit as centre-backs need to be in a long season. Both cannot play 10-12 games on a stretch without picking up any minor issue. Hence, it is imperative from the club’s viewpoint to buy a defender who is versatile, because several positions across the back-line can be covered.
Why Pavard
Benjamin Pavard could be ideal for this role. The young French World Cup winner is a versatile defender who can operate as a fullback, a wing-back and as a centre-back. He possesses exceptional technical and defensive abilities to be a perfect player for various situations.
If bought, he could fight for a place in central defence with Joe Gomez, and simultaneously help out the young Alexander-Arnold at right-back. The 22-year-old can also play in the midfield, which just adds to the exciting package he already is.
As per the report from ESPN, Liverpool are one the clubs keeping close tabs on Pavard. He has a release clause of €35m, which is not very high adhering to what we have seen in the past few transfer windows.
Hence, Klopp’s men should do everything to sign the Frenchman sooner than later.