Liverpool are a team stacked full of talent.
During the summer transfer window, the Reds spent over £450million on bringing new players in, with the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz costing over £240million combined.
At the start of the season, things were going rather smoothly with Liverpool winning all five of their opening Premier League games.
However, their last three clashes across all competitions have ended in defeat, which has pushed the Anfield outfit down to second place.
Arne Slot of Liverpool FC looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between RB Leipzig and Liverpool FC at Red Bull Arena.
Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Despite their recent lack of form, Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi has still said that there is a player among Arne Slot’s squad who he admires.
Pau Cubarsi admires Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk has been the best centre-back in the world for many years now.
The Dutchman recently signed a contract extension with Liverpool to keep him at Anfield until at least 2027.
Although talks of another extension haven’t yet surfaced, with the form that Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate have put on show this season, it’s hard to see how Slot could ever allow his captain to leave.
And, while speaking to Diario Sport, Barcelona defender Cubarsi shared that he really admires Van Dijk.
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“A current centre back that you admire,” he was asked.
To which, Cubarsi simply replied: “Van Dijk.”
Liverpool have a lot of figuring out to do over the course of the 2025-26 season
Now that Giovanni Leoni has been ruled out for a year, it’s clear that the three senior centre-backs Slot currently has at his disposal will be run into the ground.
At the moment, Van Dijk and Konate are the duo that the Dutchman is choosing to play each game, but with the recent performances of the Frenchman taken into account, it doesn’t feel like he’ll be a first-team regular for much longer.
Konate has less than a year left on his current deal at Anfield, and it’s clear that his future is affecting his game.
This is why the Reds have a fair few choices to make over the course of the 2025-26 season, as they must choose which direction they want to take their team in.
If Konate stays, he’ll be seen as the club’s best centre-back and perhaps even the defensive leader when Van Dijk exits.
However, with names such as Marc Guehi and Dayot Upamecano floating around as potential transfer targets, Liverpool must ensure they make the right choice; otherwise, things could turn sour rather quickly.