Having failed to sign a defender in the previous transfer window, in addition to finding a world-class midfielder who can release Alexis MacAllister further up the pitch, Jürgen Klopp’s next priority must be addressed.
With an aging backline and Joël Matip’s contract expiring at the end of the season, Liverpool must look to the future in defense before making any wholesale changes at once.
With that in mind, Liverpool, along with Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, are among the parties looking at the defender, according to the Sunday Mirror, who has a price tag of at least $61m (£50m/€). 57m) proposed.
That would be a steep assessment, but Brentford and their impressive manager Thomas Frank will not want to lose the Scotland international, who was only brought to Serie A from Bologna just over a year ago. The valuation is meant to discourage suitors, but the west London club is selling at the right price.
The highly experienced Hickey, 21, doesn’t qualify as a domestic player (previously played in Scotland and Italy, not three years in England or Wales), but he has the advantage of playing both. protective sides. He has played primarily on the right this season, but more often on the left during his senior career.
For Liverpool, who need cover for Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, this profile could be ideal. Kostas Tsimikas has done a good job as Robertson’s second option on the left, and hopefully Conor Bradley and Calvin Ramsay will play on the right, but the player is much easier to convince as a substitute. option if he is a two-point rotation option. Hickey is more of a defensive Full Back (regardless of which side he plays) than Robertson or Alexander-Arnold usually do, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing for Liverpool.
With Robertson absent, he could naturally move to the left and play a more conservative role, allowing Alexander-Arnold to slot safely into midfield, knowing he has three players behind him. If Alexander-Arnold was out, Hickey could fill in and Robertson would have more attacking license. Interestingly, FBref lists Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji as the fourth most Hickey-like player in Europe’s top five leagues.
Although not the most exciting player in the world, Akanji helped Pep Guardiola win the treble by being reliable and stable in the team, facilitating the more glamorous jobs of the more attacking stars. For a fee of just $18m (£15m / €17m) from Borussia Dortmund, the Swiss was a masterstroke who played a truly vital role as the Citizens won the treble.
At just 21, Hickey could be molded a little better to suit Liverpool’s needs, and he may even do enough to reach a level where he could one day take over Robertson’s duties full-time. $61 million seems unlikely, but a more reasonable move could make sense in January or the summer.
