Premier League machine and ex-Rangers man should be top of Liverpool's list to replace Andy Robertson: opinion
Liverpool have a couple of contracts to sort out but is it time to consider replacing Andy Robertson?
One of the main reasons Arne Slot delivered the Premier League title last season was because of the consistency of his team selections.
As champions, things haven’t gone quite as smoothly but the Reds boss will still be happy with the current league table given how patchy the form has been. Star signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have yet to get up to speed which suggests that when they do, the rest of the league could be in bother.
The trophies are never handed out in October and Slot will be looking to galvanise a squad that is already being written off by some.
Who Liverpool should replace Andy Robertson with
One symptom of the teams sticky start has been going from reliable and consistent full-backs to different personnel filling in at right-back and Milos Kerkez still has to show why £40m was spent to acquire his services from Bournemouth. The Hungary international is clearly talented and, despite a poor run of form, he should be allowed the chance to play his way back to the level that he is capable of at Andy Robertson’s expense.
The miles are starting to catch up with the Scotland captain and three mistakes leading to goals in his last three games for club and country is not the sort of contribution that will have Richard Hughes urging the 31-year old to sign a new contract or for Slot to drop Kerkez. What it will do though is have the recruitment chief looking for a replacement next summer and he should look no further than the Premier League.
Hughes could kill two birds with one stone if he is clever by targeting Fulham’s Calvin Bassey. The Nigeria international was late to senior football having only really played his first full season for Rangers when he was 22 after leaving Leicester City for a cross-border training compensation fee. A £20m move to Ajax and then to Fulham has seen the 25-year old end last season as the London outfit’s player of the year and one of the Premier League’s most formidable defenders.
Why Bassey would be perfect for Liverpool
Traditionally played at centre-half, Bassey is equally as comfortable at left-back or even as a wing-back due to his immense athleticism and running power. He won’t throw crosses into the box like Robertson would, however, he improved under the tutelage of Croatia international Borna Barisic at Rangers to the extent that he ended up taking the veteran full-back's place in the team.
Bassey produced several big moments from left-back in Europe and against Celtic but is now a rock at the heart of Fulham’s defence. Should Liverpool want more physicality at the back, being able to pick Bassey would be a huge benefit to Slot.
Signing Bassey, who has missed one game in four seasons due to a cold, might provide competition and cover for Kerkez, but it would also provide depth at centre-half for both the short and long term. Should Ibrahima Konate leave and Marc Guehi is signed, Liverpool would have three very consistent centre-halves to choose from and life after Virgil van Dijk could be prepared for two with Bassey a natural lefty.
He might not have the passing range of the Liverpool skipper, but he is every bit as intimidating when attackers look to get past what is a man mountain of a defender.