Michael Edwards is personally pushing for the first signing of Liverpool's post-Jurgen Klopp era, and has made one man in particular his "priority" target ahead of the new season.
Konate struggles in Everton defeat
With Virgil van Dijk now approaching the final years of his peak powers, the hunt is on for the next man to dominate the Liverpool backline. It had been hoped that Ibrahima Konate was going to be exactly that, but he has failed to kick on from his early promise at Anfield.
Against Everton, he was bullied by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and substituted just after the hour mark for young defender Jarell Quansah, as his performance contributed to the Reds slipping up in the race for the Premier League title, now trailing Arsenal by three points at the top.
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The Reds have had a tough few days on and off the pitch.
ByBen BrowningApr 25, 2024
The Frenchman came in for criticism for the first goal from Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher: "The amount of times Liverpool have given fouls away in their own half and Konate, what is he doing?! He doesn’t know where he is. He just sticks a leg out at it."
After the game Carragher didn't hold back on his assessment of the Frenchman either, insisting that the Reds need to sign a defender before the new season to have any chance of success next season.
“Konate’s been so poor of late, really poor. Liverpool need to buy a centre-back in the summer”, he told Sky Sports.
With Joel Matip set to leave as a free agent this summer, and Quansah still only young, it is clear that the heart of defence is very quickly set to become a problem for whoever replaces Klopp at Anfield. Now, it has emerged that Michael Edwards feels the same, and is ready to try and nip the problem in the bud.
New priority target revealed
As per Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Liverpool have identified Willian Pacho as a potential addition this summer. Though this in itself is nothing new, he adds that the defender has now become a "priority" for the Reds this summer, with Pacho expected to be able to leave for around £51m (60m euros) this summer.
He adds that Michael Edwards is personally "already working" on strengthening the squad, and the club have identified Pacho as the "right profile", with the move now set to become a "priority".
Pacho in the Bundesliga 23/24
Appearances
29
Goals + Assists
2
Pass Accuracy
84.4%
Fouls per 90
0.69
Clean sheets
7
Tackles and interceptions per 90
3.45
Pacho, who has missed just one Bundesliga game this term, has been praised for his performances for Frankfurt this season, with his manager hailing the 22-year-old's "world-class potential". Meanwhile, Frankfurt's sporting director described him as a "very clever player" at the turn of the year.
"Willian is a very clever player, who listens well and is quick to implement what's asked of him. His speed and strength in the tackle are what make him stand out."
However, the Reds aren't alone in their interest, with Arsenal also thought to be tracking the Ecuador centre-back and reports in some quarters that they even went as far as making a bid last week.
If Liverpool do manage to land him, could he be the player that they hoped they were getting with Konate?
