Although it’s expected that Liverpool will fall back on the versatility of vice-captain James Milner when it needs an able body to fill in at fullback this season, the Reds continue to be linked with a number of hot prospects after boss Jurgen Klopp admitted that he could be looking to bring in some more defensive cover — though oddly enough he stressed that the heart of the defense, rather than the flanks, was where they were really lacking.
“Is the activity all over? I have no idea. I don’t think so. We will see what happens,” mused the Liverpool manager when asked if they’re going to dip back in the transfer market. “If the Roma game was our base then we have to change everything but it isn’t. Was the Milan game more our base? Maybe. But Roma? No,” stressed Klopp, keen to put the disappointing 2-1 loss to the Italian side out of his mind. “Gomez, Sakho and Lucas are all injured so of course we haven’t got enough centre-backs at the moment. But we have to handle situations,” he added. “There have been too many games with not enough centre-backs. We can’t sign someone just for a few weeks. In other positions we do have cover.”
After missing out on Leicester City youngster Ben Chilwell and shipping out their own up and comer in Brad Smith to AFC Bournemouth, they’re actually looking quite light on either side. Couple that with the fact that versatile fullback Jon Flanagan looks set to join newly promoted Burnley FC on a season long loan, and his comments are downright strange — unless, of course, you’re of the belief that they’re ready to make a move for AC Milan defender Mattia De Sciglio or re-ignite their rumoured interest in FC Koln man Jonas Hector.
Now, whether or not there’s any truth to these rumors — or, if the media are just capitalizing on Reds supporters clamoring for a new fullback — remains to be seen, but the club could do far worse when it comes to recruiting talent this summer. De Sciglio, for his part, has been linked with Italian giants Juventus and will reportedly only consider a transfer to the Serie A champions while Hector, who is rumoured to have a price-tag of around £20mil attached, is supposedly set for contract talks in an attempt to keep him at the RheinEnergieStadion. They’re both good stories, but you might want to avoid holding your breath…
