3 Defenders Liverpool Should Target In January To Seal Their Leaky Back Line

Liverpool’s defence has been their major issue since the start of the season, and those defensive woes have prevented the Reds from becoming that great force they used to be, as they seem to fall short every single time they face a subpar team when they’re having their best moment of the season.

This Sunday, it happened once again, as Jurgen Klopp’s side let a 3 to 1 advantage go to waste to lose 4 to 3 at Bournemouth, with a disastrous last 15 minutes from their defensive end, especially from fill – in starter Lucas Leiva and newcomer Loris Karius.

The German Joel Matip, one of the biggest improvements for the Reds’ squad so far this season, was a late scratch during this Sunday’s matchup, and his absence really hurt Klopp’s side, showing one more time that the manager really need to reinforce this sector of the field if they want to be seriously considered as title contenders.

So, even if they have actually improved a lot from the last couple of seasons, it seems like Liverpool needs to pair Matip with another talented centre back, and don’t get us wrong, Dejan Lovren has done a pretty decent job since the start of the season, but you can’t help to think that they could actually do a bit better on this spot.

Having said that, let us discuss 3 nice choices that Liverpool should target to pair with Joel Matip on the defence during this upcoming transfer window.

Virgil Van Dijk

Virgil has been linked with almost every single big contender in the Premier League so far this year, as the Dutch has been a complete lockdown on defence and is one of the main reasons why Claude Puel’s team is one of the most solid defensive sides in the country.

They won’t have an easy task to sign this guy, though, as both Manchester United and Manchester City have shown great interest in acquiring his services, so we could be on the verge of a very interesting bidding war.

Jose Fonte

Van Dijk’s partner in the centre of the defence has also been linked with Manchester United, as the Portuguese seem to have a rapport with his fellow compatriot Jose Mourinho, who desperately wants to improve their defensive side.

Fonte is a very talented player and even if he doesn’t seem as a good option as Virgil is, he could still be a major improvement from Lovren to Liverpool, and he could actually be easier to sign that his Dutch partner, and perhaps even a lot cheaper.

Antonio Rudiger

This German starlet has been one of the best prospects over the course of the season, and even if he’s reportedly stated that he has no intentions of leaving AS Roma, at least for the time being, a lucrative offer could make both parties change their minds.

The 23-year-old has shown to be a complete lockdown on defence and he has been the main reason why Roma has been constantly fighting for the top spot of the Serie A table with Juventus.