One of Liverpool’s priorities over the next six months will be to bring in another centre-back. At the moment, Jurgen Klopp has plenty of room to strengthen his depth in that department.
A crucial aspect of Liverpool’s recruitment will be to acquire a player who will rejuvenate Klopp’s options. At the moment with the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip he has quite a few seasoned veterans in the team.
However, Klopp has now launched his Liverpool 2.0 and for that he needs to look ahead to the future. He needs a fresh new face, who can be the heir to Van Dijk’s throne.
One outstanding candidate for the role may be Lille defender Leny Yoro. Liverpool have reportedly already targeted him as a potential signing according to French outlet Le10Sport, and based on his numbers it’s no surprise.
Leny Yoro – the best in Europe
According to statistical database Wyscout, Yoro ranks as the best centre-back for defensive duels won this season in Europe’s top five leagues.
Yoro wins an impressive 83.82% of his 4.24 defensive duels per 90 at the moment. But more impressively, he doesn’t just rank in first place for defensive duels – he is also number one for aerial duels.
Yoro wins 80% of his 2.49 aerial battles per 90 this season – behind him in second place is Liverpool’s Van Dijk with 78.9%.
Klopp has always recruited centre-backs who win a high volume of their duels, particularly aerial duels. This is an important metric for the club’s recruitment team so it’s not a surprise to see Yoro being on Liverpool’s radar.
He is only 18 years old, and there are a lot of other clubs in the race to sign him as well, so this one isn’t quite as straightforward just yet for Liverpool. However, it would certainly be a major coup if the Reds could get a deal done.
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