Liverpool have had a decent season and despite having qualified to play the qualifier of the Champions League, they need several marquee players to remain competent in the Premier League. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the Merseyside club have been over-dependent on Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho and they need reinforcements in other positions as well to compete on all fronts next season.
Liverpool have struggled defensively for the last few seasons and although their defence has improved towards the latter half which enabled them to pick up key away wins, they need to bring in a few defenders to make them competent at the very top.
In addition, many times, their defence have had a makeshift look. Their left-back spot has been occupied by James Milner as Alberto Moreno has failed to impress and it’s said that Moreno will depart this summer and they will be looking for a new left-back. Any team in the top four shouldn’t have a player playing in a makeshift role for the entirety of the season.
According to the reports, Liverpool will rival Manchester City and Manchester United for the French left-back, Benjamin Mendy who is said to cost close to £39m. The French full-back is in demand and this could set up a tug-of-war between a number of clubs.
Mendy could be a smashing addition
The player has been an integral part of Monaco and has helped them win the Ligue 1 title. Liverpool not only someone needs who is defensively solid but also offensively dynamic and the fact that Mendy has 5 assists in Ligue 1 and 3 assists in the Champions League only goes on to show his offensive involvement.
Bringing him would also free James Milner to play in a more forward role. Crossing is one of Mendy’s strongest asset and no player has ever managed more crosses per game (1.5) than him, excluding the corners.
Furthermore, the former Marseille man is a modern-day full-back and perhaps enjoys marauding down the left flank than sit back and defend which could suit Jürgen Klopp’s side even more. His dribbling ability will also enable Liverpool to create width which could enable the central players to exploit the space through the centre as the wide players can stretch the opposition defence.
In addition, his athleticism and work-rate are excellent. Despite the fact that he is not completely mature in his defensive side of his duty, he is not that much far from being an end product.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool are successful in their endeavour to sign Mendy but if they do, they can get a long-term solution to their left-back problem.
All stats via Whoscored
