Liverpool are preparing a three-man shortlist to replace their defensive liability Dejan Lovren, according to Patricia Cazón of Spanish publication AS.
Liverpool Preparing Three-Man Shortlist to Replace Defensive Liability
Lovren’s Struggles
Dejan Lovren has struggled recently, having become extremely liable to mistakes at the back. The Croatian has not had much game time in recent seasons, with just nine league appearances in 2019/20 as a result of his many mistakes. A recent example of a defensive blunder of his came earlier this calendar year.
The Reds were 2-1 up in their FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town and seeing the game out with a weakened team due to fixture congestion. Shrewsbury’s keeper drop-kicked the ball up the pitch and having bounced around, it reached Lovren, with the task of sweeping it away from danger. The defender, however, completely missed the ball, allowing Jason Cummings through on goal to put it in the back of Liverpool’s net and force a replay.
Other mishaps have come in games, such as their first defeat in 44 league matches which came against Watford. His overall poor performance alongside arguably the best defender in the world Virgil van Dijk was one of the reasons Liverpool missed out on a potentially invincible season, another disaster at the back. Many fans are now calling for his sale, and it may come soon according to the report.
The Three-Man Shortlist
First on Liverpool’s wishlist is José María Giménez. Although he is quite injury prone, the Uruguayan could prove a great partner for van Dijk. Atletico Madrid’s 25-year-old centre-back is very good at aerial duels and interceptions, and while passing is not his strongest asset, van Dijk can make up for that.
RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano is the second name to feature. The Frenchman has made a name for himself playing in the Bundesliga, being RB Leipzig’s first choice centre-back since the end of the 2016/17 season, when he was just 18 years old. He is great at tackling and with passing another of his strong points, he and Liverpool’s Dutch first-choice could develop a great partnership
Finally, there is Alessandro Bastoni. The 20-year-old is the youngest on Jurgen Klopp’s list, but is currently ploughing his trade for Inter Milan’s first team on a regular basis. The Italian has gone out on two loan spells in the past two seasons, however the Serie A giants deemed him ready this campaign. Liverpool may be eyeing up a move for him, however, looking for someone to replace Lovren.
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