Joachim Zielinski discusses whether or not Liverpool should sign German left back, Jonas Hector. Many fullbacks have been linked but what makes him so special?
Jonas Hector is a German footballer who plays as a left back for FC Köln in the Bundesliga. He started his career at SV Auersmacher in 2009 and then in 2010 he was transferred to Köln’s second team. It was only in the 2012/13 season when he got promoted to the first team.
He has experienced success, both individual and on a team level having won the Bundesliga as well as Köln’s Player of the Season in the 2014/15 season. He was also named Köln’s Winner of the Year by Express, who gave him the nickname “Mr. Reliable.”
Since Köln’s promotion in 2013 he has played 55 out of a possible 57 games. His stamina and lack of injury problems has caught Joachim Löw’s interest and he was called up by Löw after just 11 top-flight games.
He’s also very tall, standing at 185 cm makes him important for defending set-pieces. He’s also good at one v one defending. He’s good at combination play, which is needed to help him down the wing to whip over a cross. According to Squawka, Hector is a very good passer too, with an accuracy of 82% in the recent season. He only made two defensive errors in the last two seasons, meanwhile Moreno has made 6 defensive errors
“We have full-backs who are trained in their clubs but defensively. Jonas Hector makes good plays in Cologne but rather in a defensive, basic order, which is a bit geared towards the counterattack.” – Germany’s manager, Joachim Löw.
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“Jonas Hector’s position with us is left-back. I know he played in midfield for Cologne, but that is not going to happen with us” – Germany’s manager, Joachim Löw.
“Because of his game intelligence Jonas is a player who has mastered all the positions on which it comes to organisation, playmaking and order” – Köln’s boss, Peter Stoger.
Hector has a deal at the Rhein Energie Stadion that expires in 2018.
There is no buyout clause in his contract, but it’s believed Köln would look for a fee of around £12 million.
Like Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto Moreno, he may be guilty of getting caught playing a little too high sometimes, but he’s a safer pair of hands defensively, his delivery is far less erratic and he’ll fit well into Jürgen Klopp’s way of playing. I still believe we should sign Ricardo Rodriguez as he’s a better player overall, and he has something we have missed for years now – set-piece specialist.
Featured Image – Metro UK