Liverpool have to secure £50million signing of “aggressive” player before deadline – PG view
Liverpool might have secured the signatures of Giorgi Mamardashvili and Federico Chiesa this summer but the truth is that they have reinforced in the two out of four positions where they are already blessed with decent depth.
What the club actually needs is reinforcement in midfield and defense and there isn’t long left for the club to try and address this. Especially at center-back, the club is very short in high-quality depth, considering Joe Gomez could be leaving.
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One player that we think Liverpool should look at on deadline day is Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie. The club has been linked with the player throughout the summer and we even covered a story a few days ago revealing that a £50m bid will be accepted by the German club.
The Ecuadorian player is a modern defender who can play in multiple positions. This is not something that we are saying about the 22-year-old but rather his manager Xabi Alonso’s assessment of him. Here is what the Liverpool legend had to say about the player:
“I think he’s a very modern defender. He can play in different positions. He’s served us as a full-back in recent games, but has also been the left centre-back when we’ve played with a back three.”
“He’s aggressive, is making better decisions when he has the ball, backs himself more to play diagonal passes and get in behind. It motivates me to have a player with his potential and desire because he helps you and you help him. He’s a great player.”
We cannot imagine someone being more eloquent in describing the 22-year-old’s strength. Clearly, we don’t need to be telling Liverpool fans what they can expect if they can sign Hincapie.
One thing that has to be mentioned though is the fact that he offers something Arne Slot’s squad lacks.
None of Slot’s center-backs in the squad are naturally left-footed. Of course, Virgil van Dijk plays like he doesn’t have a weak foot but it’s just the genius in him masking a deficiency such that no one notices. From the initial games under the Dutch coach, it’s clear that Liverpool will build out of the back this season.
Having a left-footed center-back on the left side of central defense opens whole new possibilities for Liverpool. Especially if the player in question is as good with the ball at his feet as Hincapie is, this could be a transformative signing for the Reds.
With not long left to go in the transfer window, Bayer Leverkusen might not want to disrupt their squad by selling one of their best players.
That, however, should not stop Liverpool from trying. There is the added incentive now of weakening one of our Champions League group stage opponent and we must go all out to try and secure Hincapie’s signature.