Liverpool eye move for “special” PL star who could avenge their Torres sale

The later stage of the January transfer window is now approaching and it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will do anything dramatic.

Manchester City’s last-gasp winner on Tyneside last weekend sparked fears that Pep Guardiola’s side, ever-so-slightly askew across the past several months but now galvanised by Kevin De Bruyne’s talismanic return, are ready to run away with the Premier League title.

But Liverpool remain two points ahead in pole position, having bolstered effectively throughout the summer and seen resurgent fulcrums such as Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold prove the Anfield side’s title-winning credentials.

With a lucrative outlay shoring up the issues in midfield, the Reds are firing on all cylinders and indeed need not stress about major surgery this month. Still, with the defensive ranks lacking depth, plans for a high-class signing in several months are gaining traction.

Liverpool’s search for a defender

There has been a sense for quite some time now that Liverpool need a new central defender, and with veteran Joel Matip suffering an anterior cruciate ligament rupture against Fulham, concerns were only heightened.

The emergence of Jarell Quansah, aged 20, has quelled fears but with Joe Gomez utilised at full-back these days and Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate – imperious though they are – the only senior options, it’s understandable that a fresh face is coveted.

And according to 90min, that presence could emerge in the form of Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, who revealed that Klopp is still monitoring the England international despite his agreeing to a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge only in July.

Liverpool sought to court Colwill last summer after his successful loan spell with Brighton & Hove Albion but efforts proved fruitless, though they remain huge admirers and could look to take advantage of the Blues’ possible need to cash in on several players before heavy spending in the summer.

Why Liverpool want Levi Colwill

Lauded as a “special” talent by journalist Tom Overend, Colwill rose through the Cobham academy ranks and received attention for his performances, with a loan spell at Championship team Huddersfield Town showcasing his natural talents and preceding a move to Brighton.

Colwill, now aged 21, only played 22 times for the south coast club but proved to be a huge success, with his ball-playing ability and composure in the defensive third turning heads throughout the Premier League scene, completing 89% of his passes and winning 65% of his duels, as per Sofascore.

The Seagulls lodged a series of offers last summer – the last totalling £40m – but Chelsea had no plans to sell and have now thrust Colwill into the thick of the action at Stamford Bridge.

Now an integral member of Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea squad, the 6 foot 1 titan has featured 26 times across all competitions, largely in an unnatural left-back position, having started 18 matches in the English top-flight, completing 83% of his passes, averaging 4.5 ball recoveries and 2.2 tackles per game while succeeding with 69% of his dribbles and 65% of his duels (again).

As per FBref, the £100k-per-week star ranks among the top 3% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 19% for passes attempted and the top 11% for progressive carries per 90.

Colwill’s left-footedness and faculty for crisp and effective distribution make him the perfect fit for Klopp’s system, and it’s hardly surprising that the Reds seek to test the waters once again after failing to convince him to move to Merseyside before.

Dynamic and dominant, Pochettino even believes that his rising star can become “one of the greatest centre-backs” if he continues this meteoric rise, and Liverpool are convinced they are the right institution to serve as a launchpad to glittering success.

Securing his services could also serve as retribution for the loss of one Fernando Torres, whose halcyon days in the Premier League were ended when Chelsea lured him to London way back when.

Avenging Fernando Torres sale

In 2007, Liverpool had unwittingly drifted away from a period of prosperity and were headed toward the shadowed chasm of footballing obscurity, which only really ended in its entirety upon Klopp’s appointment years later.

This was a gradual, pernicious decline, however, with 2007 also the year that Liverpool completed the signing of Torres from Atletico Madrid for around £20m, with the then 23-year-old having enjoyed a stunning start to life on the major stage in La Liga.

Heralded as “world-class” by a doted and starry-eyed Steven Gerrard, Torres posted 81 goals and 20 assists from just 142 matches for Liverpool, with El Nino proving to be one of the most brilliant, awe-evoking strikers of modern times on English shores.

Alas, the Spaniard went trophyless during his stay – albeit winning the 2010 World Cup – and was convinced by the Chelsea machine to make the move to London, forcing his way out and breaking the British transfer record with a £50m move in January 2011.

Torres never really recaptured the same level of attacking invincibility and, while enjoying trophy-laden triumphs with Chelsea, was generally considered substandard and only scored 45 goals across 172 outings.

It mattered not to Liverpool though, who had lost one of the greatest forwards in their history and were left to rue the failure to craft a squad worthy of his prowess.

Signing Colwill from Chelsea, an up-and-comer with world-class credentials, could prove to be the perfect way to avenge this past transfer saga, with the tables turned and Liverpool using the young defender’s talents to lead them back to the forefront of the European game.

Colwill also offers the skill set to ensure that any move wouldn’t derail his progress across the maiden years of his career, with Liverpool’s high-octane and fluid system under Klopp’s leadership actually perfect to take him to the next level.

As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold.