If Salah, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk leave Liverpool, who can replace them?

Liverpool Facing a problem? In six months they could lose three of their best players — Muhammad Salah, Trent Alexander Arnold And Virgil van Dijk — nothing when their contracts expire.

The chances are that at least one of the high-profile trio will extend his contract – Salah, 32, and Van Dijk, 33, are more likely, while Alexander-Arnold, 26, looks set to move. Real Madrid — but the club should certainly think about potential replacements for the trio if the worst happens.

Here’s a list of new players who could be the best fit for each position next summer.

On the surface, finding a world-class central defender might not be the most difficult task given the quality of candidates. Yet Van Dijk is the best centre-back in the world, and no amount of data or traditional scouting methods can miraculously toss out a ball-playing defender who is a natural leader, quick, unbeatable in the air and can read the game. The skills are so impressive that he hardly needs to take a hit.

Best fit: Jonathan Taha28, Bayer Leverkusen

Tah was outstanding for Leverkusen last season, and has been equally dominant this campaign. There are many factors that make his profile quite close to Van Dijk: he is physically imposing, a leader who plays with a calm air, an exceptional distributor of the ball (4.6 progressive passes per 90 minutes) and his high game study ensures that he only goes to the ground as a last resort (0.5 tackles per 90 minutes.) In addition, he rarely misses a game due to injury. becomes, and His contract expires in the summer, meaning he will be available as a free agent.

Barcelona And Bayern Munich He is reported to be interested in making a move in the summer, and there are still some doubts about him. Liverpool. Tah barely covered himself during the 4-0 defeat of Leverkusen at Anfield in November, featuring mostly in the back three, and is nearing the end of his career. But he is the perfect fit to replace Van Dijk.

Other options

Mark Gauhey25, Crystal Palace: gave England The international has been linked with a £70million return to his former club. Chelseabut could also see Liverpool coming for him. That season he lined up as a left centre-back in one pairing (before being switched to a back three by Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner), despite being right-footed, and even as a defensive midfielder. Have been deputized.

In addition to his credit, he is the club captain when Joel Ward is out and often admired for his leadership. He has great pace and defends the box well, but his aerial game leaves something to be desired (a low 62% success rate) and his progressive passing can come across as a loaded side. .

Castillo Luciba22, RB Leipzig: Luciba has been on the radar ever since he broke through. Leon At the age of 19, his first season at Leipzig has been short-lived though. Exceptionally quick and agile, Lokeba is also an excellent passer of the ball who is usually tasked with bringing him out of defence.

Being left-footed, he would naturally slot in well into the space vacated by Van Dijk and, like the Liverpool captain, he uses his strength, speed and agility to make opponents dive into tackles. prefers to use instead. He is also years away from his Prime Minister.

Ousmane Diomande21, Sporting CP: One of the strongest defenders around, Diomand is brilliant in the air and plays with believable confidence for a youngster. He is very good on the ball, but is likely to be seen as too adventurous and still needs to improve his decision-making.

He could have been an interesting signing to play alongside Van Dijk rather than replace him.

Mickey van de van23, Tottenham: One of the fastest centre-backs around, Van de Ven anticipates the game well, defends on the front foot and is left-footed. Few can match the Dutchman for his attacking contributions — progressive passing and getting forward with the ball — but he’s under contract for another 4½ years and there’s no way Spurs would Accept offers from competitors.

Alessandro Bastoni25, Inter Milan: Another dominant left-footed central defender. Bestoni is solid at the back — although life is made easier by the help of two extra centre-backs — and he is one of the most productive in Europe from an attacking point of view (distributions, carries). However, his transfer will cost around 100 million euros.

Just like with centre-backs, it is difficult for a ready-made right-back to replace Alexander-Arnold to scour the European football scene. Full write-backs are available at the right age and at an affordable fee, so it’s only right that the ideal candidate is already wearing Liverpool colours.

Best fit: Conor Bradley21, Liverpool

Along with Chelsea Malo Gusto, Manchester CityOf Rico Lewis And of Tottenham Archie GrayBradley is one of the top U21 right-backs. Premier League. Although his technical profile is significantly different from Alexander-Arnold, he has shown enough to suggest he will develop regularly.

While you may lose some of Alexander-Arnold’s composure, playmaking quality and set-piece skills, with Bradley you gain more classic fullback skills such as great, quick ball-carrying, consistent take-on, and A contagion attack. The mindset may be that Bradley hasn’t played as much as he’d hoped to this season under new boss Arn Sloat, but given the youngster’s impact from the bench (and last season’s displays), he’ll surely be a regular soon. will

Of course, Liverpool will then need to find a backup for Bradley as well, so one solution could be to look at a player who can cover two positions.

Other options

Jules County26, Barcelona: A player who can actually help replace both center back (Van Dijk) and right back (Alexander-Arnold). Excellent at both positions, signing Koundé could prove to be a masterstroke. Landing an undeniable starter for Barcelona and France Could be a departure from Liverpool’s usual approach but given the chaos of the Catalan club’s finances, an opportunity could arise. Although County occupies most of the right-back slot for club and country these days, he has extensive experience playing centrally as that was his original position. Sevilla.

Entering negotiations on an indispensable player with two years to run on his contract won’t be easy. The huge upside, however, makes it worth a try. Koundé will have little difficulty adapting to the Premier League and offers confidence in the slot to play from the back, speed to get the defensive line up the pitch, and smarts to stop the ball early.

Immortal Dedic22, RB Salzburg: If you promote Bradley, you will need backup and the Bosnia and Herzegovina international could be a good fit. He may have plateaued since his fine debut season two years ago, yet with all his action, offensive interpretation of the right-handed role, Dedic will be worth watching. His 2.7 successful take-ons and 3.5 possessions per 90 minutes in the opposition half paint a picture of a defender who is extremely attacking and capable of transitioning into pressing mode in a split second.

Also comfortable on his left foot, Dedic could also be an option as a long-term replacement for Andy Robertson in the left-back role where Liverpool’s depth is questionable.

If the other two were tough, it gets even more complicated here. How do you replace a floating forward/winger hybrid who guarantees 20-plus goals every season, a ton of assists, and is playing the best soccer of his life at age 32?

There is no shortage of creative minds in Liverpool’s ranks, yet with their track record they face a challenge here. Most choice-like changes — eg weaponOf Bukayo Sakaof Chelsea Cole Palmeror Real MadridVinicius Jr. is untouchable, while a youngster will never come close to Salah’s numbers.

The club’s most likely success comes from a team effort, but if Salah leaves, at least one new attacker is needed in addition to tactical moves used to score more goals from the slot group. can do Recruiting an out-and-out center forward is the most logical step.

Best fit: Victor Osman26, Galatasaray (on loan from Napoli)

He moved to Galatasaray half a year after his strange loan. Nigeria The international is still one of the most successful strikers in world football. While his era Turkey has been successful (10 goals in 13 league games), some suitors — Chelsea and Man United reportedly among them — may have moved on to other targets due to the apparent lack of dialogue with Napoli. . But he reportedly has a €75m release clause that kicks in at the end of the season.

While Ouseman is unlikely to settle for the wage package that Salah is now earning, the 26-year-old is still one of the top penalty area strikers, with pace and experience to burn that should make him an easy target. Can score 20+ goals from One season in the Premier League.

Other options

Benjamin Cisco21, RB Leipzig: Young and full of talent, Cescow is a typical Liverpool signing. Probably 6 foot 5 Slovenia The international was under consideration last summer before the club decided to offer. Darwin Noyes More time to solve.

As he is highly rated across Europe for his great shooting ability, long-distance runs and opportunistic positioning, Cescow presents an interesting dilemma for Liverpool. Can they justify paying the required €70m to sign a centre-forward who averages just 14 goals per season? Bundesliga? Should they wait until the average is 20? And if they do, will another club get in first?

Alexander Esq25, Newcastle United: The Sweden international is as close as you come to guaranteeing a striker scoring 20+ goals in a season in the Premier League. With three years left on his contract, his chances of staying away from St James’ Park are microscopic, regardless of how interested Newcastle are in trimming their squad and any move would cost more than £100m. Will be.

Victor Giocres26, Sporting CP: Isak’s strike partner for Sweden may have scored a goal for every league game he played for Sporting (50 in 50), but they spent €80 million to bring in Nunes. Benfica It’s a non-starter in the same league. As unfair as it may seem — different teams, different skills, different nationalities — Liverpool (regardless of whether the analytics say they should) will surely waive that €80m bet. Manchester United Provided he only has a year or two at the top level under his belt. And if they live to regret it, they’ll take the punch.

Jonathan David25, Lily: David could be a great option if Liverpool didn’t already have Jota and Nunes on their books. Out of contract in the summer, he is a first-class finisher who boasts excellent movement and has a lot going for him. What he is not, though, is Salah’s legitimate successor. And at its current stage of development, he added Canada International will prevent unnecessarily aggressive packing orders.