Liverpool are allergic to signing centre-backs.
This is of course not true, but this summer the Reds signed Giovanni Leoni from Parma for a fee of £27 million, making the 18-year-old the club’s second fully senior signing since Virgil van Dijk’s record-breaking move in January 2018, and the first being Ibrahima Konate, who joined from RB Leipzig in 2021.
Arne Slott’s side are frustrated after Leoni ruptured his ACL on his Reds debut and was out for the season, with defensive issues at the heart of Liverpool’s struggles this season.
Despite intense speculation over the future of Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, with Liverpool also considered and Manchester City also said to be interested in signing him, the need for a new centre-half remains great.
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Guehi, 25, is one of the best defenders in the Premier League. One of the best players. Van Dijk turns 35 next summer and with Konate’s error-riddled contract coming to an end soon, FSG and sporting director Richard Hughes are sure to compete for the Crystal Palace captain’s signature.
However, Liverpool may have to play a waiting game as Guehi himself will become a free agent by the end of this season. Still, the need for a new centre-back is great and if the right opportunity presents itself in the new year, the Merseysiders should jump on it.
Now, as it happens, such a shot has materialized, with Boravip confirming Liverpool’s interest in Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez ahead of the January window.
With Chelsea out of the race, the Reds are believed to be the front-runners with a clear path to signing his signature, although Serie A side Inter Milan are also on the list.
Ordonez, 21, is regarded as one of the most talented up-and-coming centre-backs and signing him from Brugge would require a transfer fee of €40m (approximately £34m), Belgium’s record fee.
Why Liverpool need to sign Ordonez
No doubt, adding a forward like Semenyo to the slot squad would improve Liverpool. However, a call to a Ghanaian representative in November revealed that FSG did not choose to match Manchester City’s intensity.
Why is this? After all, Semenyo is one of the best players in Europe, with nine goals and three assists in 17 Premier League games this season.
Could it be because Liverpool decided to prioritize defenders instead? There is a stronger case for centre-halves, as Liverpool’s leaky backline has caused so many problems this season, with Konate and Van Dijk showing cracks in their usual shells.
Although Ordonez is young, he has experience in the Champions League and as a top talent in the Belgian top flight, with talent scout Jacek Kulig hailing him as a “remarkable player” with an “incredibly perfect profile” for such a young defender.
Furthermore, according to FBref, the Ecuadorian national team ranks in the top 9% of Belgian Professional League affiliates for pass attempts and completions, in the top 16% for progressive passes, and in the top 2% for carries.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the completed pass into the opponent’s goal or into the penalty area.
This natural ball-playing ability will serve Liverpool well, providing much-needed defensive depth in the slot and making him a more important cog than a more expensive wide forward like Semenyo.
With Florian Wirtz coming into his own, the team’s experienced Kodi Gakpo and Rio Ngmoja hailed as one of the most exciting talents in the country, an up-and-coming defender like Ordonez could prove to be just the player the Anfield side need.
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