The defender wasn’t fit enough to face Bradford on Saturday after suffering a groin problem in an EFL Trophy game against Exeter City. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)placeholder image
The defender wasn’t fit enough to face Bradford on Saturday after suffering a groin problem in an EFL Trophy game against Exeter City. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Liverpool are looking to the future and have been linked with one of Britain’s hottest prospects, would a swap deal be the best way to tempt Cardiff City to sell.
Liverpool should always have one eye on the future and a shopping list that regularly features the brightest talents in Britain.
Any teenager making an impact at senior level in the country’s top league will be watched by Richard Hughes’ recruitment team to see if they have what it takes to make it at Anfield. The net should always be cast far and wide and it was only bad fortune that saw Arne Slot robbed of a composed and mature looking Giovanni Leoni for the season. The Reds boss could do with an assured centre-half given the current situation in the middle of the defence.
Liverpool linked with Dylan Lawlor
According to Graeme Bailey at TEAMtalk, Liverpool are in the queue for one of the Championship’s up and coming stars who has emerged as a regular for Wales after impressing for Cardiff City at just 19-years old. At 6ft 2 inches tall, Dylan Lawlor has worked his way up through the ranks of his home town club and is now catching the eye of the Premier League’s big hitters as well as several of Europe’s elite clubs.
According to Bailey, although inexperienced, there is no doubting Lawlor’s talent: “We can now reveal that Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have entered the frame for Lawlor in recent weeks, joining rivals Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in their admiration for the ball-playing stopper. Indeed, one scout has told us it is easier to name the Premier League clubs not in for him, than those who want him.
“We are told clubs have been hugely impressed with Lawlor’s maturity despite just over a dozen first-team appearances for Cardiff, whilst his international performances have really made him stand out.”
There are similarities with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite in terms of how Lawlor plays and his profile as a young centre-half, they also both make the breakthrough in England’s lower leagues at a young age and didn’t look out of place.
Liverpool should make swap deal offer for Lawlor
Hughes could pull off a smart piece of business by offering a player who has been deemed surplus to requirements at Anfield without the need of finding a club who will pay for him by offering a swap deal with Cardiff.
Calvin Ramsay might play a different position to Lawlor, but in terms of profile; young, talented, international prospect, there isn’t much between them other than a few years. Cardiff would also be getting a player who Liverpool paid £6.5m for only a few years ago.
England’s lower leagues are a difficult market to assess, although the centre-half position is probably one of the areas where it is easier to make a sound judgement. Core abilities like; heading, duels, passing and marking are relevant at any level, then physical abilities like strength and speed make it easier to predict whether or not they can make it at the highest level.
With Lawlor’s comfort in possession setting him apart at a young age and seeing him earn an international call up by Craig Bellamy, he is already showing elite traits. Ramsay has that same potential, he just won’t be given the chance to show it at Liverpool and a step back could be the perfect solution for both parties.
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