According to a recent report by the Telegraph, Liverpool have won the chase to secure the services of PEC Zwolle centre-back Sepp van den Berg during the summer transfer window. The same source has also revealed that the Dutch defensive ace is set to undergo a medical this week ahead of a £1.79m move to Anfield. The Telegraph has also stated that the Reds beat Bayern Munich and Ajax in pursuit of the Eredivisie prospect in this off-season.
The Recent Emergence Of Sepp Van Den Berg
The 17-year-old rose up the youth ranks of PEC Zwolle before he finally broke out as a first-team starter in the previous campaign. He was an influential part of Zwolle’s Under-17 team back in 2017. The Dutch teenager went on to play for the Under-19 team as well. However, he had risen to prominence after making 15 appearances for Zwolle in the Dutch top-flight last season.
Van den Berg made an average of 1.3 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 2.7 clearances per match in the Eredivisie (stats via whoscored). Despite his remarkable rise in Dutch football, the European wonderkid is still quite raw and would need to prove himself before he is ready to feature for an elite club like Liverpool regularly.
Jurgen Klopp would now have to be patient with his development so that the youngster has the best possible chance to be a success story at Anfield.
What Will The Eredivisie Whizkid Bring To Merseyside?
Van den Berg has incredible potential and could become one of the best defenders in European football. However, he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to become a regular starter under Klopp someday. The Dutch defender is pretty quick and agile in his own half. His rapid speed enables him to cover a lot of distance and make some vital interceptions for his side.
The Zwolle talent is also a good tackler but needs to work on getting his sliding challenges right if he wants to prove himself at the red half of Merseyside. Van den Berg is also an unstoppable force in the air as he can use his height to win a lot of aerial duels.
How Will Van Den Berg Fit At Anfield?
The Dutch centre-half has all the talent in the world to pass the Anfield test with flying colours. He will not only add more depth to Klopp’s squad, but he also has the potential to become Virgil Van Dijk’s permanent centre-back partner at Merseyside.
The rise of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Andrew Robertson over the past couple of seasons should serve as proof that Liverpool could be an ideal destination for the Zwolle defender.
