According to reports, young Inter Milan centre half Zinho Vanheusden has emerged as one of Jurgen Klopp’s top targets this summer. The Belgian youngster has maturity and capability way beyond his age with numerous sides vying for his signature now, including Premier League side Southampton, Everton and Chelsea.
The Reds are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements before they break into the season and a centre half remains an absolute prerequisite. Following the club’s rift with Mamadou Sakho last summer, Liverpool have had to face vile criticism for their leaky defence. In the likes of Ragnar Klavan and Dejan Lovren, Klopp has two inconsistent options who had cost the side some crucial points last season.
Despite starting the season with a bang in the first half last term, where Liverpool had won 13 of their first 20 league fixtures, the Merseyside club had found themselves conceding cheaply against weaker sides like Bournemouth, West Ham United and Burnley. The occurrences only multiplied in the later half where the likes of Crystal Palace, Hull City, Swansea City, Leicester City and even Sunderland managed to frustrate them.
With Joel Matip being the only player, whom Liverpool could compare in quality with their rivals’ terrific backlines, fans have been voicing their concern for quite some now. And Sakho’s brilliant spell with Palace has only intensified it. Klopp seems to have eased his strict stance on the French international though and might just let him play next season.
Liverpool have brought in Andrew Robertson from Hull City, which has been their only defensive buy so far. And a move for 18-year-old Vanheusden, though exciting, isn’t going to solve their immediate problems for sure. And a closer look at the defenders brought in by Chelsea and Manchester United pretty much clear things out.
While United have brought 25-year-old Victor Lindelof, Chelsea have brought in 24-year-old Antonio Rudiger. Both the players have been well established in the national team and would take little time to adapt to the league. Vanheusden, on the other hand, is yet to make a national debut with just two caps to his name in Belgium’s Under-19 side.
The Hasselt-born player undoubtedly possesses some thrilling potential at the back and has shown some real promise with Inter’s Under-17 and Under-19 sides, but is far from a polished product. However, at 187cm, the player definitely seems a good option for the Premier League as dealing with aerial duels shouldn’t be an issue.
Liverpool face both Manchester City and Arsenal in their first four games next season, with both the sides having already upgraded their attacking artillery.
