Jurgen Klopp must have spent much of his early Liverpool career walking under ladders, breaking mirrors and kicking any black cat he sees judging by the extent of the lack of injury luck he’s had at Anfield. There’s an argument that the German has not yet been able to field his strongest XI due to various fitness concerns, with Daniel Sturridge, captain Jordan Henderson and Mamadou Sakho, among others, having been sidelined for various periods of his tenure, while both Joe Gomez and Danny Ings’ seasons ended with freak knee injuries early in his tenure.
And now the latest crock the ex-Dortmund boss will have to deal with is Martin Skrtel, with the rugged Slovakian set to miss around three months of football with a hamstring problem. To further compound this, the 12 weeks the ex-Zenit Saint-Petersburg man will be absent for just happen to be the busiest of the season…
Alas, it’s not all negative, as in just over a week’s time Klopp can delve into the transfer market to bring in reinforcements. If he wasn’t already thinking about a centre-back after the humiliating 3-0 loss at Watford he may be now, and here are FIVE options for the 48-year-old…
Neven Subotic
Links may have seemed a little lazy early on, but the persistent nature of reports aligning Liverpool and Subotic must mean that there is serious interest in the Serbian. The 27-year-old followed the now Reds chief from Mainz to Dortmund and was a key cog in BVB’s two title wins and run to the Champions League Final under the charismatic tactician, so it’s pretty clear them that he’s well drilled in the ‘gegenpressing’ way of playing, which bodes well for a speedy transition should the move go ahead.
Although it may be somewhat problematic for Klopp to return to Dortmund to scoop up his former players, the fact Subotic has played just 180 minutes of league football under Thomas Tuchel this season suggests that he has little in the way of a first-team future at the Westfalenstadion.
Joel Matip
Widely perceived to be the major target for Liverpool this January, Schalke’s Matip looks the most likely candidate to be heading to Anfield. The athletic Cameroonian is set to be out of contract in the summer, and although it would have been tempting for the Reds to wait it out and agree a Bosman deal, a cut-price £4m move to get him in as soon as possible with Skrtel set to be out of action through the early stages of 2016 makes sense.
Matip is known for his pace and power, and can also play as a holding midfielder, which is likely to appeal to Klopp given that his team are still involved in four competitions and are short on options to anchor the engine room.
Nicolas N’Koulou
Like Matip, N’Koulou is of Cameroonian descent and is available on a free transfer at the end of the season. The 25-year-old is yet to commit himself to a fresh deal at Marseille amid speculation that he’s keeping his options open and would present a cost-effective option for Klopp. There have been tentative reports linking Liverpool with N’Koulou, but it appears that Matip is the man they want… albeit they may be forced to look elsewhere should he pen a new deal at Schalke.
Marc Bartra
A more ambitious target, but a player that is likely to appeal to the club nonetheless. Bartra has been on the fringes of the Barcelona squad for some time and with just six La Liga appearances to his name this term, he may find a move away for first-team football tempting. The 24-year-old is known for his silky passing skills after coming through the La Masia set-up at Barca, but he complements this technical ability with sound tackling ability and a 6ft frame.
It may be tricky to lure Bartra away from Spain, but the chance to work under Klopp might sway the starlet.
Lucas/Emre Can
Perhaps Klopp doesn’t actually need a new centre-back? Right now the German has Dejan Lovren, Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho to call upon, and, interestingly, his willingness to throw Lucas Leiva into the heart of his defence against Watford when Skrtel limped off suggests that he sees the Brazilian as an option. As well as the experienced South American, Emre Can can also play in the position, and in games in which the Merseysiders will be on the front foot, perhaps having a slightly more forward-thinking player in the backline will give opponents another problem to deal with.