Liverpool could sign their biggest talent since Trent this January

Manchester City’s annual injection of invincibility appears to be warming up and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will feel a pang of déjà vu, no doubt, but then his side are well-equipped to battle the imperious Premier League champions over the coming months.

The Anfield side are top of the table after 20 matches and hold a two-point advantage over Pep Guardiola’s side, and it’s a testament to Klopp that he has successfully engineered such an exciting season after falling by the wayside last year.

Sweeping changes were made to the centre of the park after the sapped legs neutered fluency in the high-octane system, but Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch deserve all the plaudits for contributing to the revival.

Claims that a specialist defensive midfielder is still needed have simmered out somewhat after Endo’s recent rise to form; partner that with the dynamic Mac Allister’s ability to conduct the flow in the No. 6 role, and perhaps focus can now be shifted elsewhere.

As such, Klopp can now prioritise the bolstering of the backline, especially when considering Joel Matip’s season is now over, with a player lined up who could offer the quality to leapfrog Manchester City in the years to come.

Liverpool’s search for a defender this month

According to Spanish publication AS, Liverpool are set to battle against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for the transfer of LOSC Lille centre-back Leny Yoro, who has enjoyed a prodigious start to life in Ligue 1.

The report states that the 18-year-old is likely to leave in the summer and the affluent European outfits will compete for his signature, with groundwork likely being plied at present in an attempt to gain a foothold in the race.

Reportedly valued at €90m (£78m), the young Frenchman looks set for a prosperous future at the top of the game and could be enticed with the proposition of trying his hand in the Premier League right from the infancy of his career.

Leny Yoro’s style of play

In reality, Lille will not be able to maintain their exorbitant demands if Yoro chooses to depart, with his contract at Stade Pierre-Mauroy up for expiry at the end of next season.

However, with such precocious beginnings, the French outfit would be well in their right to demand a lofty figure and Liverpool will be geared up for the necessary outlay, should they indeed opt to advance their interest.

Having chalked up 39 senior appearances for his club already, the France U21 international has been described as a “Rolls-Royce” calibre defender by U23 scout Antonio Mango.

In Ligue 1 this term, as per Sofascore, Yoro has netted two goals across 17 fixtures thus far, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 1.2 tackles, 4.3 ball recoveries and 3.2 clearances per game while succeeding with 66% of his contested duels.

Already standing at 6 foot 3 with the possibility to reach loftier height, the rangy starlet is evidently dominant in possession and excellent in blending his modern style with a more traditional, no-nonsense approach, arriving at something of a hybrid presence on the pitch that would be perfect for Klopp’s system at Anfield.

Lille’s 57.34% average of possession in the league this season is second only to league leaders PSG (65.87%) and for a young player such as Yoro to be at the centrepiece of this, taking 72 touches per game, is remarkable indeed.

All this has led talent scout Jacek Kulig to pronounce the teen as “world-class material”, with a ceiling perhaps even reaching that of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has turned into quite the player for Liverpool over the years.

The stats that show Yoro is “world-class material”

Liverpool’s defensive axis of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate is formidable and awesome and corroborated by the best defensive record in the Premier League this term, with just 18 goals shipped from 20 matches.

But Matip’s anterior cruciate ligament rupture back in December sparked heightened fear over the depth of the defensive ranks, with Joe Gomez deputising at left-back after injuries to Andrew Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.

Jarell Quansah’s emergence has been pivotal in this regard and likely changed the narrative this month for Liverpool, but it’s clear that another option is necessary.

Yoro would be the perfect fit, already ranking among the top 13% of central defenders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 6% for pass completion and the top 14% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.

With such incredible promise, Yoro, should he sign, could even be the biggest talent at Liverpool since the rise of Alexander-Arnold, who made his league debut in December 2016 against Middlesbrough, now standing proud as vice-captain aged 25, also one of the most creative and influential forces in the world.

Regarded as a “genius” by reporter Neil Jones, the England international has scored 18 goals and supplied 81 assists across 298 displays for the Reds, undoubtedly a world-class machine and one of the most crucial cogs in Klopp’s team over the years.

When he was 18-years-old, Alexander-Arnold already boasted a technical ability that transcended anything deemed normal for up-and-comers and this is why Yoro could be the biggest talent since the right-back’s ascent.

Yoro already passes with an age-belying crispness and brings precision in his defensive duties, and the thought of where he might be in several years is, frankly, staggering.

That’s figurative. In a literal sense, Klopp will hope that he is ensconced on the Anfield grass earning acclaim in the Premier League, proving to be one of the game’s great talents of his era. Not the first at Liverpool since Klopp’s appointment, portending such illustrious success.