Joe Gomez Liverpool
© IMAGO - Joe Gomez Liverpool
There is a big shakeup coming to the centre of Liverpool’s defence.
The process began last summer when Giovanni Leoni came into the club on a £26m deal from Parma. Out went Jarell Quansah - while Liverpool have also lined up summer deals for Jeremy Jacquet and Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
The reason so much change is needed in a relatively short period of time is uncertainty around the futures of several experienced defenders.
In the short term Ibrahima Konate is out of contract at the end of the current season and if no agreement is reached he will be leaving for free.
Joe Gomez meanwhile has cast doubt on the prospect of continuing at Anfield for much longer.
And given the recent transfer speculation around Virgil van Dijk - a target for Galatasaray - fans can be forgiven for worrying about what’s coming down the track.
Mor Talla Ndiaye: High hopes
Richard Hughes and Arne Slot have a plan though. If Gomez leaves there is plenty of cover in the shape of Leoni, 19, and Jacquet, 20.
Butanother player who arrived under the radarin January will also come into the reckoning.
According to James Pearce in the Athletic Liverpool have got “high hopes” for Mor Talla Ndiaye in light of all the potential departures.
The 18-year-old Senegalese arrived from FC Amitie for around £1m in the winter. The FIFA U17 World Cup standout was injured upon arriving on Merseyside but came into the fold for Rob Page’s U21s to great acclaim.
Mor Talla Ndiaye has stepped up to the first-team ranks
And over the course of the last few weeks Ndiaye has stepped up to the first team- making it onto the bench for Premier League fixtures against Manchester United and Chelsea.
“There are also high hopes for young Senegalese defender Mor Talla Ndiaye, who arrived from Amitie FC for £1m in January and has been on the bench for the past two matches,” his report reads.
Slot’s show of faith in Ndiaye bodes well for the defender’s future prospects. He could well be marked down as a defensive leader of the future - with the potential for so many experienced defenders to leave.
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