Why Benedikt Howedes And Liverpool Are A Match Made In Heaven
Liverpool are a fantastic team going forward, but it’s at the defensive end where they have had problems. Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip are the preferred duo picked by Jurgen Klopp but with Mamadou Sakho out of favour with the German gaffer, they will be looking to bring in a suitable replacement.
World Cup winner Benedikt Howedes of Schalke has been linked with a move to Liverpool. He was recently stripped off the captaincy at the club and was benched for the season opener against RB Leipzig. Howedes will actually be disappointed with those changes and a summer exit looks likely to be on the cards. Howedes is versatile, as he can play not only as a centre-back but also in both the full back positions as well.
He played every minute of the 2014 World Cup campaign at left-back and has played as right-back at Schalke many a time. He could be available for as little as £18million and Liverpool should look to capture him for that amount as it’s a paltry fee considering the transfer fees involving player transfers this summer.
Given Liverpool’s current defensive situation which saw them concede 3 goals in their season opener against Watford, Howedes could be a valuable option for Liverpool to consider. Though the performances after the Watford game have been encouraging, especially after their 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal last night, the Reds would do well by bringing in a quality defender into the team.
Given his experience and versatility, he would bring a lot to a Liverpool side that are defensively weak at times, especially from set-piece and aerial situations, where the Reds have lacked solidarity.
The 6’2 defender who is 29 years old, has been at Schalke all his life and was awarded the captaincy in the year 2011. He has been captaining the side until recently as he lost the armband to Ralf Fahrmann. Defensively, Liverpool have been conceding some unwanted goals due to the lack of presence and awareness. Signing Benedikt Howedes could help that cause severely.
Given that they have only Lovren, Klavan and Matip to choose from, the signing of Howedes becomes even more important. Having qualified for the Champions League Group stages after an impressive 6-3 aggregate win over Hoffenheim, Liverpool will be looking to strengthen their squad with a couple of signings, with Howedes being one of them.
Although James Milner filled in at left-back, and though they have brought in Andrew Robertson from Hull, given the number of games they will be playing, an experienced head like Howedes could exactly be what they need the most. If there’s something that the current Liverpool team are missing, it’s the presence of some real leaders and in Howedes, they could find the perfect leader.