Why Liverpool signing Dayot Upamecano would be a top-class move
Dayot Upamecano could be in the middle of a transfer tussle next season between Liverpool and Manchester United (source – Metro). The Frenchman was the subject of a move this season too but nothing worked out and he ended up signing a new contract. His release clause, however, is set to drop next summer, which means that there will be a huge bidding war for his signature.
Profile
Dayot Upamecano is a 21-year-old French centre-back who currently plays for German club RB Leipzig. He started his senior career at RB Salzburg in 2015.
Two years later, he made the switch to Germany and has since improved by leaps and bounds to become one of the first names in Julian Nagelsmann’s side. The youngster was a part of Leipzig’s dream Champions League campaign last season where they made it to the semi-finals.
Why Liverpool should sign Upamecano
Even a few months ago, it would have been a blasphemous statement to say that Liverpool needed defensive reinforcements. Cut to the present day and there’s a horrific stat for Liverpool fans. The club have conceded 11 goals in 4 games. Of those 11, 7 came in the Aston Villa game. The Villans repeatedly ripped open their defence with calculated moves.
They targeted Joe Gomez by isolating him from Van Dijk and forced errors from him. They also exploited the spaces left by the full-backs when they tried to move up the pitch. Yes, few of the goals were unfortunate deflections but Liverpool did allow them to take those shots at goal.
The usually colossal Van Dijk has looked uncharacteristically error-prone in the last few games. He was taken for a ride by Villa captain Jack Grealish on occasions. Even in the performance against Leeds, Liverpool looked in no shape to deal with Leeds’ constant press and were lucky to walk away with 3 points.
While these are still early days, Liverpool should look to plan ahead and try to secure a defensive signing. Dayot Upamecano ticks all the boxes for them. He is young, shows composure with the ball and has leadership qualities.
Verdict
Liverpool will be making no mistake in pursuing Upamecano. The centre-back was a vital part of RB Leipzig’s journey to the Champions League semi-finals last season. He showed incredible calmness that belies his age.
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Joe Gomez is not a bad defender per se. But with teams targeting him and launching attacks from his side, one needs to realise that something is wrong. They need to get someone who is going to partner Van Dijk and not be a weak link in the back four.
Combining all these factors, Liverpool should really look to sign Dayot Upamecano next season.
