Andoni Iraola is desperate for a signing in central defence, where Liverpool are "very thin", and the club could beat Arsenal to Aston Villa and England star Ezri Konsa
Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola is desperate for defensive reinforcements(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Liverpool could rival Arsenal for the signing of Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa as Andoni Iraola desperately seeks a solution to his injury crisis. Pre-season has shown just how short Liverpool are in central defence, providing some urgency to their search for a new centre-back.
An injury to Joe Gomez in a friendly against Sunderland has highlighted the lack of depth in the position, with £55million signing Jeremy Jacquet yet to feature in pre-season as he's eased back from a shoulder injury and Giovanni Leoni still recovering from his ACL injury.
With Virgil van Dijk given time off after the World Cup, Iraola has been forced to turn to youth, starting Ifeanyi Ndukwe, 18, and Luke Chambers, 22, in the 4-2 defeat by Leeds on Sunday, while Mor Talla Ndiaye, 18, has also featured in pre-season.
The departure of Ibrahima Konate means Liverpool need an experienced player to partner Van Dijk and the Guardian reports that Konsa has emerged as a target. The England international is also on Arsenal's radar after William Saliba suffered a back injury at the World Cup, but Villa's £60m valuation is thought to be beyond the Gunners' means.
Konsa has two years left on his contract at Villa, where he has played since 2019, making 286 appearances in all competitions. The 28-year-old has a wealth of Premier League experience and could fit the bill for Iraola, who has voiced frustrations at the lack of depth in the squad he inherited this summer.
Jacquet, who signed in January from Rennes, and Victor Munoz (£35m from Osasuna) are the only two major deals done so far and the issue is shown by the fact Iraola's assistant, Tommy Elphick, had to fill in at centre-back in a recent training drill.
Iraola admitted recently: "With the centre-back, with the right-back situation, in terms of defensive depth, we are, I think, very thin right now so I think it's a solution that we are trying to find, yes."
Ezri Konsa
Ezri Konsa is a target for Liverpool and Arsenal(Image: Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Gomez will miss the Premier League opener against Newcastle on August 23, leaving Van Dijk as the only fit senior centre-back in the squad. The Dutchman did not join his team-mates on the United States leg of their pre-season, leaving Iraola will less time to work with him before the campaign kicks off.
"When the market is open, you have to be always open to new options to improve the squad," Iraola said last month. "There are obvious situations where we need to sign players."
Liverpool are undergoing a summer of transition, with Iraola arriving to replace Arne Slot after a disappointing campaign, which saw Konate, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson leave. To complicate matters further, Fenway Sports Group chief Michael Edwards has also left, piling more pressure and responsibility onto sporting director Richard Hughes to get deals done.
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