Liverpool have set parameters for a young centre-back target, and with Parma’s Giovanni Leoni linked, it is time to take a look at what the defender could offer.
With the help of our partners at FotMob, we look at Leoni and assess how well he fits the mould Liverpool are looking for.
Fits the brief for a young centre-back
Leoni is still only 18 years of age, turning 19 in December, and he made his professional debut with Padova in Serie C at the age of 16 years and three months.
It made him the youngest professional player in Italy that season, and he would go on to join Sampdoria, making 12 senior appearances, before moving to Parma last summer.
Leoni is a huge prospect, who made 17 Serie A appearances for Parma in his breakout season – he has also been capped by Italy at both U19 and U18 level.
He does not have the bulk of experience that Liverpool typically look for, with just 33 senior club appearances, but his performances have not gone unnoticed.
On the ball
The teenager fits the mould of a modern-style centre-back, one capable of dominating in the air and on the ground with his athleticism, but also crucial in the buildup with progressive play.
He is comfortable playing with both feet and is ranked in the 64th percentile for successful dribbles per 90, while a passing accuracy of 88.7 percent has him in the top 38 percent of centre-backs.
The 18-year-old has shown he can play in the centre or at right-back and is comfortable on both feet, though he favours his right as a right-sided defender.
It would suit Liverpool’s setup, given the departure of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the summer, with any addition of a young defender likely to come alongside an experienced figure.
His small sample sizes do require caution in jumping to any conclusions, but the characteristics he has shown offer promising signs over the trajectory of his development.
Wins the physical battle
Standing at 6’5″ and with a strong frame, he already has an imposing presence and can offer an injection of pace coming out of defence.
While he still has further development to undergo when it comes to growing into his body, he is physical in duels and can dominate without giving away too many fouls:
70th percentile for percentage of duels won
68th percentile for percentage of aerial duels won
For comparison, Jarell Quansah was in the 5th and 9th percentile in the Premier League last season for the abovementioned statistics and Marc Guehi the 50th and 29th, respectively.
Virgil van Dijk, whom Leoni looks up to, is the standard-setter in this department as he sits in the 94th and 92nd percentile, respectively.
Notably, he is comparable with Ibrahima Konate when it comes to players dribbling past him, averaging 0.37 per 90 compared to the Frenchman’s 0.35.
Room for improvement
The Italian is well regarded for his game intelligence and covering spaces, placing himself in the right position to force blocks and clearances, but at 18 there is room to improve.
While we know he is confident and competent on the ball, he still needs more testing when it comes to bringing the ball out of defence, as Parma were not renowned for asking that of their centre-backs.
He averaged 1.05 accurate long balls and created 0.07 chances per 90 with Parma in Serie A last season, comparatively lower than Quansah on both accounts.
Arne Slot is known to ask a lot of his centre-backs in and out of possession, and although Leonie’s data is limited to less than 40 club appearances, he has shown he can be moulded into the defender Liverpool would ask him to be.
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