It’s challenging to keep up with the changes happening at Liverpool during the summer transfer season since things are moving so quickly. Fabinho is a player who might be leaving the team, while Levi Colwill is a player that the team is keeping an eye on in case he decides to join.
However, the two people’s fates might be linked. According to David Ornstein, Al-Ittihad is interested in signing Fabinho. If the deal is approved, Liverpool will get another non-homegrown player, bringing the total number of non-homegrown players from 16 to 15.
The fact that Colwill is a native son contributes significantly to admiration for him. However, this makes him a very valuable and expensive asset. The depth issue at left-sided center-back would likely not be as urgent for Liverpool if Fabinho were to leave and be replaced by a homegrown player or someone under 21 (Roméo Lavia, for example, fits both criteria). Jörg Schmadtke could then likely look at less expensive options who might offer better value.
International player from Slovakia Dávid Hancko might be one of them. Hancko is a target for Liverpool, much as Dominik Szoboszlai, who is also a target for Newcastle United. Newcastle is considering the Feyenoord center-back, claims transfer specialist Santi Aouna.
However, the team would be wise to sabotage any potential move as Liverpool did with Szoboszlai. Hancko checks a number of Liverpool’s boxes.
First of all, he is very at ease on the left side of the field and has shown himself to be a really capable defender for Feyenoord throughout its campaign to win the Eredivisie title the previous season.
Due to Hancko’s dominance in the league, no center-back in the league had a better defensive duel success percentage (80%) or won more aerial duels (70.13), according to Wyscout.
Hancko, a physically commanding defender with a height of 1.88 meters, is also reasonably quick, making him a hard player for opposing forwards to beat and a player that would fit Liverpool’s high defensive line.
Most importantly, he is at ease with the ball, which is essential for any Liverpool center-back under Jürgen Klopp’s system of play. Only two center-backs in the league averaged more forward passes (25.08), progressive passes (11.12), and long passes (8.55) per 90 minutes than Hancko did last season.
Hancko is a tremendously important player to have in possession as well, and with his skill on the ball, he would fit right in at Anfield. Hancko is capable of spreading the play with looping balls over the top in Virgil van Dijk-esque fashion.
In contrast to Colwill, who is just beginning his career at age 20, he is a more senior profile at the age of 25. Hancko, on the other hand, might be the wiser choice even in the long run considering that he would cost much less and be less difficult to obtain.
At his age, he still has time and room to grow and become an even stronger center-back. Since defenders usually reach their peak later, Liverpool would be signing Hancko at the ideal time.
Hancko’s departure, along with those of Fabinho and perhaps Jordan Henderson, would help Schmadtke better balance the budget. Liverpool might also buy a handful of midfielders to fill the void left by the losses in that position and ultimately strengthen their squad rather than spending a big portion of it on Colwill.
