Slot wants 22-year-old signing to replace £160,000 a week star – Report
It’s maybe finally time to stop the running joke of Liverpool not making a signing this summer because Giorgi Mamardashvili is set become the Reds’ first signing of the summer.
However, it doesn’t really feel like a signing considering the fact that the 23-year-old is going to spend the rest of this season in La Liga with Valencia meaning the Reds are yet to make a reinforcement to the first-team squad for this season.
News – Liverpool blow – Club ‘closing’ £46.6m initial fee to beat the Reds to signing – Report
We covered a story around a week ago revealing that Liverpool had identified Stade Rennais man Adrien Truffert as a serious option and had already come forward to sign him. The 22-year-old was recently on Olympics duty with France.
Now, as per Football Insider, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has identified the young left-back as the long-term replacement for Andy Robertson who is currently 30 years old. The report adds that he isn’t a ‘top priority’ but is being looked at.
The Reds’ summer so far has been much to do with succession planning. They have already secured their Alisson Becker replacement and could now do the same for Robertson.
Make no mistake, Robbo is still going strong but he is past his prime and injuries have started creeping into his game.
This Liverpool ideology of building for the future rather than focusing on the present could come back to bite Arne Slot in the short term. If his first couple of games are anything to go by, there is promise but there is also a sense of lack of conviction.
Robbo earns £160,000 a week at Anfield at the moment. He is likely to continue as the first choice for the rest of the season with Kostas Tsimikas providing able backup.
The 30-year-old is also learning a new role under Arne Slot, to invert into a back three and help in building out from the back.
Truffert is a promising player and if the Reds were to sign him, they should loan him back just like they are set to do with Mamardashvili. Liverpool are setting up very well for the future and let’s see if they wrap up a deal for the 22-year-old in the days to come.