Why Konstantinos Tsimikas could be a good signing for Liverpool
According to BBC, Liverpool have signed left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas from Olympiacos for around £11.7m.
The Reds turned their attention to the 24-year-old Greek international after failing with a £10million bid for Norwich City starlet Jamal Lewis. (h/t Daily Star)
The Premier League champions have brought him as an understudy to first-choice left-back Andy Robertson.
Profile
Konstantinos Tsimikas rose through the youth ranks at Olympiacos and made his first-team debut back in 2015 but he had to go through loan spells at Esbjerg in Denmark and Willem II in the Dutch Eredivisie before establishing himself as a first-team regular at his boyhood club.
The 24-year-old registered 5 assists in 20 league appearances for Olympiacos during the 2019-20 campaign while also featuring prominently en route the Greek giants’ march to the last-16 of the Europa League, where they were eventually knocked out by Wolves.
Capped by Greece on 3 occasions at the senior level, Tsimikas has accumulated 12 assists in 86 appearances for Olympiacos across all competitions.
Why Liverpool need him
Liverpool need not worry too much about Tsimikas’ lack of experience at the highest level because he has only come through the door as a back-up to Robertson.
Robertson, who has bagged 23 assists in the Premier League over the past two seasons, remains a world-class left-back. This means Klopp is going to have ample time at his disposal to gradually integrate Tsimikas into the set-up at Anfield.
The Reds had to rely on makeshift options like James Milner and Neco Williams, essentially a right-back by trade, to fill the void whenever Robertson missed a game last season.
Klopp has been without a back-up left-back since the departure of Alberto Moreno, meaning Tsimikas solves a nagging problem in a key department for the PL champions.
Read More
- Why Liverpool must offload their German keeper Loris Karius
- Opinion: Liverpool shouldn’t think twice about investing in Norwich starlet Jamal Lewis
Verdict
Considering that Liverpool have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Jamal Lewis, a young and talented left-back like Konstantinos Tsimikas seems like a good enough alternative to the Norwich City starlet.
The Greek international proved his worth in the Europa League this season and still has plenty of room for development at 24.
