The Telegraph yesterday reported that Liverpool are set to battle it out with Tottenham for Dnipro’s Ukrainian winger Yehven Konoplyanka’s possible move to Liverpool, and while the deal is yet to be finalized, here are three reasons why he would be a good fit for Liverpool.
1. Versatility
Konoplyanka is primarily a left winger who likes to cut in onto his favored right foot, whether to pass or to shoot on goal. He also has the ability to take on defenders and beat them with trickery and pace. He is also equally capable of playing on the right hand side, and often swaps positions with Andriy Yarmolenko for the Ukrainian national team, who play a similar role on the right wing. Konoplyanka is also capable of playing through the middle as a support striker or behind the main striker in the hole.
His vision, passing ability and dribbling make him a real handful even in congested areas, and he has the ability to use the runs of players around him to make space for himself. This would suit him ideally at Liverpool as all of Liverpool’s forward players continuously swaps places and are always on the move, whether to have a dart beyond the opposition defense, or to make space for teammates by drawing defenders away from the ball.