Liverpool’s season may well be over, but that’s only because Arne Slot’s side have wrapped up the Premier League title with plenty of time to spare.
Anfield’s chief decision-makers are bound to be hard at work right now, perhaps finding their transfer plans accelerated after such dominance in the English top flight.
Of course, that’s not the only reason Liverpool’s season is done and dusted, if we’re being candid. The Merseysiders have no FA Cup or Champions League final to prepare for, having been dumped out of both competitions at premature stages.
This isn’t really to the detriment of Slot’s squad, merely a reflection of the unforeseen heights reached this season. Few expected Liverpool to go from strength to strength after Jurgen Klopp left last year, let alone win the league title.
Slot has been stringent in his team rotation, and will need to add depth this summer. Luckily, he’s had an absolute rock of a leader in Virgil van Dijk, unflappable, unmovable.
The importance of Van Dijk to Liverpool
The importance of Van Dijk. It really can’t be overstated how significant a part of Liverpool’s rise and rise he has been. Without this towering Dutchman, Klopp’s dynasty wouldn’t have scaled the mountain between good and greatness.
The art of spending wisely. Sure, Van Dijk cost Liverpool a world-record £75m fee, leaving Southampton on the South Coast in January 2018, but has there ever been a defender in that ballpark, and there are more, who have given their new employers the same bang for their buck?
Van Dijk took the captain’s armband from Jordan Henderson at the end of the 2022/23 season, but he’s been a leader ever since he arrived.
However, that level has been notched up since assuming the new weight of responsibility, for he led the resurgence last year, put Liverpool back in the Champions League and scored the winning goal in the Carabao Cup final. Now, he’s skippered his way toward a second Premier League title, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher saying, “he’s too good for the highest level” of football.
Tying the 33-year-old down to a new deal was always going to be imperative, and now he joins Mohamed Salah in devoting two more years of his prime to this wonderful club.
Maybe the final two years of his career at the highest level. Maybe, time works its hands onto every world-class player, and there will come a point when Carragher’s effusions no longer ring true.
Maybe Liverpool would be prudent to find and sign a successor this summer.
Liverpool add new centre-back to their shortlist
Liverpool need someone who’s capable of filling Van Dijk’s boots for years to come. Preferably, they would be a left-footed centre-half.
Transfer Focus
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Dean Huijsen is the talk of the town, but Liverpool might actually be ready to head down a different track and sign Nottingham Forest’s Murillo.
According to DaveOCKOP, 22-year-old Murillo is one of the shortlisted names ahead of the summer window, his blend of meaty athleticism and technical quality making him the perfect option for a team challenging at the top of the European pyramid each year.
However, he wouldn’t come cheap. It was suggested a few months back that Forest will demand £80m for the defender, with Arsenal, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain also considered suitors.
What Murillo would bring to Liverpool
Nuno Espirito Santo has worked wonders at Forest. He’s transformed the club from relegation stragglers to genuine Champions League contenders, with their fate hanging in the balance ahead of the final few matches of the season.
Forest were hit with a points deduction after breaching financial fair play (FFP) rules in the 2022/23 season. The windfall from securing a seat at Europe’s eminent table would ease their worries this summer, but FFP compliance will be a tricky slope to navigate in any case, and Liverpool could take advantage.
Certainly, Murillo still has progress to make in his professional journey, but that’s why Liverpool should act now, adding the Brazilian to a rich backline and allowing him to learn under Van Dijk’s wing before settling into an enhanced role.
Make no mistake, Murillo’s already got enough in his locker to make a marked improvement on Liverpool’s defence. Hailed for his “monstrous” performances by journalist Ryan Taylor, he’s menacing and unflinching in his duties.
The Tricky Trees star isn’t the finished article, but he’s already performing at a level that challenges Van Dijk for his throne.
Matches (starts)
35 (35)
34 (34)
Goals
3
2
Assists
1
0
Clean sheets
14
11
Touches*
90.5
54.9
Pass completion
92%
79%
Key passes*
0.3
0.4
Dribbles*
0.1
0.8
Ball recoveries*
3.1
3.9
Tackles + interceptions*
2.5
2.5
Clearances*
5.1
6.8
Aerial duels won (%)*
3.2 (71%)
1.3 (66%)
In fact, he’s been described as being “easily one of the best defenders in the league” by talent scout Jacek Kulig only a few months ago, not all that far away from Liverpool’s main man.
Murillo is energetic and creative too. While defending his goalkeeper serves as his principal aim, the £xxk-per-week talent has also garnered something of a reputation for his powerful surges forward, thus sparking creative opportunities for his forward-placed teammates.
FBref back it all up: across Europe’s top five leagues this season, Murillo ranks among the top 3% of positional peers for blocks and clearances, while also ranking among the top 2% for successful take-ons and the top 12% for shot-creating actions per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
You can see why Liverpool are so interested in striking a deal this summer, with Murillo ticking all the boxes.
6 foot even, he’s not the tallest of centre-back but Murillo uses his aerial prowess so well, and must be brought to Anfield this summer to begin the next chapter in his career, one building toward a point in which he succeeds Van Dijk as Liverpool star man at the back.
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