January Dealings
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Liverpool confirmed to have held David Hancko talks
22 MINS AGO
ALEX CAPLE
Liverpool have held talks about Feyenoord defender David Hancko, his agent has confirmed. The Reds could be in the market for a centre-back.
It appears Liverpool are considering a move for Slovenian centre-back David Hancko. That's according to his agent, anyway, who claims to have held talks with the Reds and Paris Saint-Germain - as well as others.
Liverpool and PSG were both tentatively linked with the player this week, prompting TNCZ to ask Branislav Jasurek about the interest. Jasurek represents Hancko as a part of FairSport International.
“As an agency, we are in contact not only with these two clubs, but also with others who are looking into David’s situation," he said.
"I estimate that 80-90% David will stay in Rotterdam [this month] because Feyenoord is fighting for the Champions League and the people at Feyenoord know that David Hancko will be sold even in the summer and maybe better than now.”
Hancko is a player few will have thought of but this does actually make quite a lot of sense for Liverpool. The Reds will almost certainly want to move for a centre-back in 2024 after Joel Matip's awful injury - and the fact his contract expires this year.
The Slovenian is 26 - older than Liverpool typically move for - and wouldn't block the progress of Jarell Quansah. He's a left-sided centre-back, too, which would ultimately come in handy post-Virgil van Dijk.
Above all, though, Hancko's data is fantastic. Per Fbref, he's one of the best (if not the outright best) on-ball defenders outside of Europe's top five leagues.
His 88 per cent pass success rate is good anyway, let alone combined with the fact he plays more progressive passes than just about any defender outside the top five. He's involved in creating over two shots per 90 minutes, too, which is an extraordinary rate for a centre-back.
Hancko ticks a lot of the right boxes, then, and may well be one for Liverpool fans to keep an eye on in 2024.
O think
Tsimikas 26, same as Antonee Robinson
Rayan Ait Nouri is 22 so he's the perfect age.
Robertson is 29
Tsimikas 26, same as Antonee Robinson
Rayan Ait Nouri is 22 so he's the perfect age.
AFCON is getting moved to the summer isnt it?
Plays in a desired designated league - check Attitude - Japanese, so check Height 1.88m- check Versatility - plays both sides of CB and MF Check Injuries- Has been out for most of this season and a lengthy spell last season - check
Liverpool learn bargain release clause for Japanese centre-back target
Liverpool are said to be monitoring the situation of Japanese centre-back Ko Itakura, and his release clause is a reasonable one.
- January 18, 2024
- Adam Beattie
The Borussia Monchengladbach was ever-present for the Bundesliga side prior to an ankle problem he picked up in October, and has 23 caps to his name for his country.
Jurgen Klopp‘s defensive options were harmed when Joel Matip‘s season ended prematurely due to the ACL injury he sustained last month, and several defenders have been tentatively linked to Anfield since.
According to Sky Germany, Itakura has caught the attention of both Liverpool and Tottenham, with the release clause – said to be between €10 million and €15 million – offering both clubs encouragement.
That would mean a fee of between £8.6 million and £12.9 million.
That clause only activates this summer, however, and his inclusion in the ongoing Asian Cup in Qatar makes an imminent deal this month highly unlikely.
Earlier this month, Liverpool were said to be scouting Borussia Monchengladbach’s No. 3, with Fabrizio Romano claiming the club have watched the defender “multiple times” already this season.
The 26-year-old joined the German club from Man City in the summer of 2022, having not registered a senior appearance under Pep Guardiola.
It appears that his next move could see him return to the Premier League, with both Klopp and Ange Postecoglou reported to be fans of the player.
He would become only the third Japanese player to join Liverpool in the club’s history, following in the footsteps of international team-mates Taki Minamino and Wataru Endo – both of whom are also in the Middle East vying for Asian Cup glory.
These reports come after This Is Anfield‘s David Lynch revealed Liverpool are also interested in Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande.
Diomande would likely command a significantly higher fee than Itakura, with the 20-year-old having impressed since making a €12.5 million move of his own from Danish side Midtjylland just 12 months ago.
With the release clause not valid until the end of the campaign and the centre-back occupied with international commitments, any potential deal is likely to come further down the line.
Links to defenders do appear to be increasing, however, which indicates that it is a position the club would like to replenish at some stage in the near future.
If we sign no one to cover the positions we are short on, we lose the title because of a lack of players in midfield and defense then I hope that some of our best players put in transfer requests in the summer. How many more seasons are our top players going to play and lose the title because the club won't invest when we have proved that we can compete and be at the top ? - its pointless, we are better off being a cup team and aiming for top 4 every season.
I blame, Klopp, Ritchie Partridge and the rest of the physio's.
If they were smart, they'd sync our caffeine doping seasons to AFCON free years. So we should have been doped up last season instead.
You need to take a good hard look at yourself if you think our best players leaving is something worth hoping for.
You are beginning to sound like this guy. He wants Klopp sacked, and doesn't want LFC to win the league.
As a squad, we aren't in bad shape, and our squad is large in comparison to our competitors. It's not perfect, and we know FSG will not loosen the perse strings even when its obvious like 19/20 season.
In defence we have Quansah and now Nats, who I think is under rated. Without him we would not have got 3rd that season. We've seen in the Cup games the youth talent is improving.
Endo and Salah will be back by mid feb at latest. Then we have the Spaniards, who will be like new signings.
Wow.
That video is a microcosm of everything that’s wrong in the world - in the good old days he’d be doing that to a wall in his bedroom with an audience of one.
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All that's missing is the Al Qaida flag behind him.
Surprised he hasn't decreed a Fatwa on Klopp's head.
Prick
Hahaha al qaida flag
When you have lost the league by one point - twice, and then go onto lose the league because your club keeps on not signing even after winning stuff - especially after the league win - we chose not to buy any defender and expected to continue with 3 full time defenders after Lovren left - we were top of the league that same season at Christmas. Then when most of the fan base could see last summer that we needed to get some midfielders and we did nothing yet again and screwed up our chances of CL footy. These players we have are actually too good to not win big stuff in my view but we are always one or two players away from being on competitive level playing field on the pitch with City - but the club does nothing.
It should obvious to you right now at this moment that the Caicedo bid was all bollox, we are at the top of the league because we have a bunch of technically gifted players in every single position now - that we can get away with playing as an unsynched unit. But we need to be supported - and at some stage these players will wonder and know - and I am talking about the likes of Trent/Curtis - they will wonder "damn I a so good I could win something playing for RM and or Bayern where life will be easier and the money better". You see @Frogfish - if we signed the players we need right now while we are at the top - I would not give a f*ck about signing anyone this summer (maybe a potential future replacement for Salah), we would be stocked for the next 2 transfer windows in midfield and defense, and have a better chance of winning the league this season.
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