Liverpool supporters are frustrated Manchester Cityis a sharp efficiency this month. The four-in-a-row champions acted decisively to resolve their glaring internal problems Pep Guardiolateam while recently tied Erling Haaland until the extraordinary new contract, which is valid until 2034.
Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold they are free to discuss pre-contract agreements with suitors abroad from the start of the new year, while discontent grows over an alleged lack of depth in the back line.
It’s hardly all doom and gloom. Arne Slottside perch on top Premier League four points ahead of Arsenal, with a game in hand.
At the top Champions League group stage and beyond in both domestic cup competitions, the Reds are looking for silverware this season and have a talented and balanced squad capable of achieving lofty goals.
However, City’s recent action serves as a reminder FSG and Richard Hughes that they must step up the gas, so that this wonderful position does not disappear during the working months of the campaign.
Andy Robertsonfor example, should be replaced.
Why Liverpool need to replace Andy Robertson
A great player, one of Liverpool’s best after him a smart £10m signing in 2017leaving Hull City, Robertson enjoyed a successful career as one of Europe’s best left-backs.
He is still only 30, but the Scotland captain is visibly regressing in terms of athleticism, concentration and creativity, the three main elements of his skills.
His deputy, Kostas Tsimikashe has a good eye for a pass, but Slot is clearly not in favor of him as a starting option, so Liverpool need to address this issue in the future. James Pearce of Athletic issued a pragmatic response to the question, claiming that signing a new left-back is high on the to-do list but unlikely to be resolved this month given the depth.
Robertson, however, was constantly at the crime scene of this period and lacks the technical detail and confidence that once established him as a world champion.
Liverpool do have a successor in mind and may yet look to complete the deal this month.
Liverpool’s search for a left-back
As reports the Italian newspaper Solo Lecce earlier this week, Liverpool entered the race for Lecce defender Patrick Dorgu, joining Premier League rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
It is understood Liverpool’s admiration is growing at a rapid pace and FSG chiefs have already lined up a €40m (£34m) bid for the Denmark international.
Dorgu, who is only 20 years old, has impressed Liverpool scouts with his strength and energy, also showing the all-round qualities that could see Slott in the form of his choice in the future.
What would Patrick Dorgu bring to Liverpool
Dorgu is already one of the brightest young talents in Italian football making 55 senior appearances for Lecce, scoring five goals, since receiving his stripes at the FC Nordsjælland academy in his homeland.
Currently plying his trade in Italy, Dorgu could prove to be Slott’s very own Salah signing, and will be joined by the Egyptian sensation Jurgen KloppLiverpool from Roma for a fee of £34 million in 2017same window as Robertson, and it goes on scoring 232 goals and setting up another 105 in 378 appearances, winning a whole series of trophies (not including the Europa League).
Dorgu has shown flashes of quality but could reach his full potential with Slott’s Liverpool project starting to hit full swing, much like Klopp’s side in the past, with Salah serving as the catalyst of the attack and still carrying that burden to this day.
The rising star is, after all, already hailed as an “elite team player” with “tremendous physicality.” by one analystso there is every reason for Liverpool fans to be excited, as he could become one of the best defenders competing on English shores.
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Patrick Dorgu – Lecce statistics by position (24/25) |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
applications |
Objectives |
Assists |
|
Right wing |
10 |
3 |
0 |
|
Left back |
5 |
0 |
1 |
|
Left outer |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
Right back |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Statistics via Transfermarkt |
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As you can see above, Dorgu is one of the most positionally flexible players in Serie A, and while he has enjoyed relatively prolific success on the right wing, Lecce manager Marco Giampaolo, who was appointed in November, has moved him back into a more conventional left-back role.
This is a positive, proving that Slott, one of Europe’s superior tactical minds, could sculpt Dorgu to his own design, although the young striker is likely to continue to provide support in a range of roles, avoiding being locked into one firmly-held category.
anyway, according to FBrefDorgu ranks in the top 9% of Serie A wingers for tackles, top 7% for interceptions, top 5% for clearances and top 9% for aerial battles won per 90 this season, illustrating a strong defensive application that remains with even when he is on the field in attacking situations.
There is hope that a deal will be reached and Liverpool will extend Salah’s stay on Merseyside. If that’s the case, Sloto won’t need a first-class replacement just yet.
But in Dorgu, he could sign his own Salah, killing two birds with one stone. The lively Dane may prove to be the perfect replacement for Robertson in the future, but his proven success as a sleeper right-winger has made a compelling case for a dynamic that is practically suited to Slott’s fluid system.
