Liverpool boss Arne Slotplaceholder image
Liverpool boss Arne Slot | Getty Images
Liverpool need to start thinking about their defensive department in the long-term
Liverpool breezed past Newcastle United 4-1 in their last outing. They have won their last two outings on the spin in all competitions since their 3-2 loss to AFC Bournemouth. Therefore, Arne Slot’s side should be in good spirits ahead of the weekend.
They are back in Premier League action on Sunday as they aim to keep their momentum going. Up next is a tricky clash against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday. The Reds are sat in 6th place in the table after 24 fixtures.
Liverpool urged to re-sign Jarell Quansah
Liverpool have been urged to re-sign Jarell Quansah from Bayer Leverkusen this summer by Andy Brassell. They have a buy-back clause from 2027 believed to be around £52million for the defender. He left for Germany last year and penned a contract until June 2030 in the Bundesliga.
European football expert Brassell has said, as per a report by talkSPORT: "I'm sure Liverpool will go out and buy another centre-back from here. They have to. They really have to go out and buy a new centre-back from here because, depending on what happens with (Virgil) Van Dijk, they can't have Van Dijk plus (Jermey) Jacquet and (Giovanni) Leoni going into next season. They can't do that. It leaves them too thin. So, they need to find someone.
"I wonder if at some point Jarell Quansah maybe comes back. I think that has to be a question as well. We've seen that before with players going out to the Bundesliga. Or do you even look at going way back, look at Dani Carvajal having his year in Leverkusen before going back to Real Madrid and becoming a Real Madrid legend. That's always a possibility, I think."
The example of Carvajal shows there is a route back to Anfield for Quansah and the chance for him to still become a club legend on Merseyside.
He added: "It feels to me like (Ibrahima) Konate will go. Marc Guehi has made his move already. Dayot Upamecano is staying at Bayern. He's signing a new contract. So, from there being all these available free transfer centre-backs – and of course, Real Madrid had interest in all three of them at some point – that's whittled down to one elite centre-back.”
Will Liverpool bring back Jarell Quansah?
Quansah is a realistic option for Liverpool ahead of the next campaign. As Brassell alluded to, it seems likely that Ibrahima Konate will leave at the end of this term. He is due to become a free agent as things stand and is yet to sign an extension.
The Reds need to start thinking about long-term replacements. At the age of 23, Quansah is still young and has potential to improve down the line. He has made 27 appearances for Leverkusen since his transfer, 16 of which have come in the league, and he has scored two goals from the back.
He rose up through Liverpool’s academy and was a regular at various different youth levels. The Warrington-born man was loaned out to Bristol Rovers as a youngster back in 2023 to get some experience under his belt. Upon his return, he became a first-team regular and went on to play 58 matches.
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