Stuart Pearce has had his say on whether or not Marc Guehi would be an upgrade on Ibrahima Konate as Liverpool look to have failed in their pursuit of the Crystal Palace defender.
Ibrahima Konate was still relatively unknown when he made the switch from Ligue 2 side Sochaux to RB Leipzig. However, he worked hard in Germany to build himself a reputation and impressed during the four years he spent in the Bundesliga.
Liverpool made the decision to trigger Konate’s £36m release clause in 2021 and this is a move they have not lived to regret. The defender made 42 appearances in all competitions last season and even managed to chip in with two goals and two assists.
Despite this, questions have been raised about the quality of Liverpool’s defence, which was not up to the same standards as their attack during the previous campaign. Out of Konate and Virgil van Dijk, the club’s two main central defenders, it is the former who is seen as the weaker option.
As a result, Liverpool have been considering bringing in another centre-back, who could be the difference in helping the team concede fewer goals and pick up more clean sheets. One player to have been linked throughout the summer was FA Cup winning defender Marc Guehi.
In a recent interview, former player and manager Stuart Pearce, Guehi would be an upgrade in Konate and he has mentioned a key reason why Guehi is such an asset.
“Personally, yes, if I had the choice between both of them, Guehi’s the better player.
Konate was outstanding last year. But Marc Guehi is the first-choice England central defender in my eyes. I think he reads danger really well. I think you can leave him in one-on-one situations, which helps the bigger clubs who play a bit more expansive football.”
Pearce added that Liverpool often commit men forward, including their full-backs, which means the back two have to be able to dispossess their man.
“We saw with Liverpool at the weekend when they attacked, both full-backs vacated their areas leaving the two center halves to deal with the danger. Now you’ve got to make sure that you are capable of dealing with one-on-one situations. I think Mark Guehi is one of those that can do exactly that.
I think he’s a great commodity and if I was Newcastle, if I was Liverpool, if I was Manchester United, I would go and recruit him.”
Liverpool now look to have missed out on securing the signing of Marc Guehi after a deal fell through on deadline say. It was reported that a fee has been agreed and a medical had taken place, but Palace’s inability to sign a replacement ultimately led to its collapse.
