Last season, Liverpool won the Premier League. And they behave that way. We haven’t even reached July, but FSG has already signed Bayer Leberkusen duo Florian Wiltz and Jeremy Fripon and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez.
It’s a time of great excitement for the Reds’ persuasive people. However, Arne Slot’s team is not without fouding.
Falling to the final 16-year-old with the ultimate Champions League champion Paris Saint-Germain was a bitter medicine to swallow.
PSG deserves their victory, and so did Magpies. It was one stretch for the Merseysiders, who had already surpassed expectations of taking the lead of the actually defended commander on the UK’s top flight.
Depth proved Liverpool’s problem. Slots hates to implement rotations earlier, and like Jarrell Quanza, some trickle-outs of fringe players on the side explained that, as Harvey Elliott and Darwin Nunez follow soon.
Quansah has signed Bayer Leverkusen and with Ibrahima Konate’s future as Real Madrid Lurk (again), Liverpool needs a new centre-back.
Liverpool is chasing a new centre-back
Currently there is one man standing on top of the other Liverpool defensive targets: Marc Guehi. The Crystal Palace defender is just a year away from free agency, and FSG is beginning to circle.
Tottenham Hotspur saw it rejected a £700 million bid for England International last January, but Palace Chairman Steve Parrish knows that time will run out if he wants to recover some funds from his valuable defensive assets.
While some reports suggest that Liverpool is locked up in Guehi’s signature, something could be suspended at Anfield’s office as much of the club’s summer activities are sealed at the pronto.
So it would be wise for sports director Richard Hughes to give a thorough assessment of the market for potential alternatives. If the report is believed, such players have been identified.
Liverpool Identifies Guehi Alternatives
According to catch-offside, Everton’s Jarrad Brantas has been assigned as a potential option for central defense by Richard Hughes and CO, but this would actually be a controversial move.
If Liverpool gets the job done, it’s not like Liverpool will care. The 22-year-old Branthwaite is gaining interest from Chelsea and Manchester United after revealing his desire to move the club in March after being overlooked by three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel.
Everton believes their star defender is one of the most talented in the business, and therefore slaps a £70 million price tag on his name.
What Jarrad Branthwaite brings to Liverpool
Guehi’s contract status is likely to prove he is a more cost-effective solution for Liverpool, but Branthwaite is a very scary guardian, with him on his left foot.
Branthwaite, who returned from a successful Loan Spell against PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2023, became a star member of Everton, played 65 Premier League matches and acquired the club’s players in 2023/24.
While it may seem ridiculous to think that Liverpool and Everton will do business on the transfer front line, the Hildickinson Stadium side is interested in BenduAh, which is worth £30 million.
The technically tough tackle and cleverly talented 6-foot-5 star will sooner or later win a move to a club competing in the Champions League, and Liverpool could be even worse, especially as first-class coaching in slots proves the perfect way to develop Branthwaite’s ball-play game.
That being said, it’s not that bad. Certainly, looking at Branthwaite’s metrics on top flight last season as opposed to Guehi’s top flight, I start to think that moving for the Everton man might not be the worst idea in the world.
Jarrad Branthwaite vs Marc Guehi in the Prem (24/25) | ||
---|---|---|
Statistics (*per game) | Branthwaite | Guehi |
Match (start) | 30 (28) | 34 (34) |
the goal | 0 | 3 |
assist | 1 | 2 |
A beautiful sheet | 8 | 11 |
touch* | 51.9 | 64.9 |
Pass completed | 83% | 84% |
Key Pass* | 0.1 | 0.5 |
Ball recovery* | 3.1 | 4.3 |
Dribbling (success)* | 0.1 (60%) | 0.4 (86%) |
Tackle + Intercept* | 2.1 | 2.6 |
clearance* | 6.3 | 4.6 |
Duels (winning)* | 3.9 (63%) | 4.9 (59%) |
All data via sofa score |
As you can see, Branthwaite is more accurate in duels than his positional peers, but on average generates more clearance. Although he has far less mobile, his 60% dribbling success rate indicates potential ball carry ability that could be shaped at Anfield.
It is important to remember that Branthwaite runs on a system that actively attenuates the vastness of ballplay.
Anyway, the Hulking Blues Star is just a phenomenal defender, strong as cows and as sturdy as steel. Talent scout Jacek Kulig has even declared him a “absolute monster” of Toffee.
Can Branthwaite make a leap? After all, the bay of Merseyside is a ditch.
Shawn Dish and David Moet employ both anti-attack and somewhat practical styles, which makes it difficult to draw meaningful passing data from his Everton efforts from his Everton efforts, but he still finished the year ranked in the top 20% of the central backs of assists and top 13% of the switch.
Liverpool was hailed by reporter Joe Thomas as a “incredible” part of Everton’s team, and if they put this on top in the coming months, they’ll certainly ruffle some feathers.
But if the Eagles play hardball and prove that their efforts to sign Guehi are fruitless, then this British could just be the perfect option. And who knows, maybe he will prove a better signature.
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