Liverpool could have bid accepted for £50m ‘machine’

Liverpool head coach Arn Slott is caught in the middle after Mohamed Salah’s extraordinary tirade following the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Reds United at Elland Road.

Liverpool led 2-0 at the end of the game, but their weak defense and mental frailty returned, and Salah’s comments added to his frustration after sitting on the bench for three games in a row, and this time not playing at all.

But the Egyptian attacker’s narrative-stealing vitriol has drawn attention away from the recent struggles of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, with the former making yet another mistake and the collapse of the captain’s confidence and composure further exposed at the weekend.

Pundit Jamie Redknapp believes the centre-backs are “playing as if they’ve never seen each other before” and thinks it’s important that slots find a way to solve this problem which threatens to swallow up the Premier League champions whole.

Liverpool need to fix their defense

With Liverpool’s star defenders reveling in deception, it’s no wonder FSG are looking to sign new players this winter. Failure to sign Marc Guehi at the end of the summer transfer window is likely to have further negative effects on Slott and Liverpool’s season.

There is a great need for centre-backs, but Liverpool’s midfield has been well below par this season and a strong, physical force could benefit Slott’s plans to rekindle balance and make the team more compact and difficult to play.

According to Football Insider, Atalanta’s Ederson has been named as a candidate and FSG were informed in January that they could sign the 26-year-old.

A bid worth £50 million could be successful. Liverpool are equipped to make such an offer and need it if they are to end this disastrous slump.

What Ederson offers Liverpool

Slott is a man on the brink. Just a few months ago it seemed as though the foundations of the dynasty had crumbled, but so much has gone wrong at Anfield that it now looks like it could come tumbling down like a tower in the sand.

On his own, Ryan Gravenbirch has not been in bad shape this season, but he has struggled to form a balanced and efficient central unit when combined with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

This is one of many questions that Slott has yet to find an answer to, and if Slott wants to restore Liverpool’s equilibrium and get their centre-backs back to their full potential, it could be a central midfielder that they need to sign.

Ederson may be the perfect person for the job. Carlo Garganese described the Brazilian as a “machine” in midfield as coach Gian Piero Gasperini guided Atalanta to the Europa League title and ended Bayer Leverkusen’s historic unbeaten run.

The South American enforcer packs a stronger punch than any of Liverpool’s current midfield options, is mobile and has a balanced midfield performance, ranking in the top 8% of Serie A midfielders this season for pass success rate, top 15% for progressive passing and top 5% for ball recovery rate of 90%, according to FBref.

He is a combative, ground-covering midfielder and his driving force in driving play forward will provide Liverpool’s defense with the covering they need to turn things around, covering Konate’s weaknesses in the build-up and providing the legs to ensure 34-year-old Van Dijk settles into a defensive position.

Italian content creator Damiano Coccia even claims that Ederson is “the best defensive midfielder in the world”, and it’s clear why he would be such a great addition to a struggling Anfield side.

Van Dijk and Konate had a miserable second half against Leeds, but this is exactly the type of player who will stop the rot and put Liverpool back in the ascendancy.

His athleticism and tough tackling nature will help Van Dijk and Konate get back into form.