According to a recent report by the Daily Mirror, Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren will remain at Anfield beyond this summer after Jurgen Klopp decided to block his loan move. The same source has also claimed that AS Roma, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen were all eager to take the Croatia international on loan for the remainder of this campaign but the Reds were only willing to sanction a £15m permanent departure for Lovren.
Lovren’s Eventful Career At Anfield
The 2018 FIFA World Cup finalist has been an essential part of Klopp’s backline over the past few seasons. Lovren reached the peak of his football career when he lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy as part of the Liverpool squad in the previous campaign.
The 30-year-old appeared in a total of 18 matches for the Reds last season, finding the back of the net once while providing one assist on all fronts.
Despite his sporadic role, Lovren was able to provide adequate defensive cover at the back for Liverpool after he averaged 1.2 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 3.9 clearances per game in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored). He has made 53 international appearances for Croatia and has scored on two occasions for his nation thus far.
The Croatian talent had to overcome a lot of injuries during his playing career, which has hampered his progress at Merseyside. However, Klopp still might need his assistance if his side are to challenge across five different competitions this term.
Was It The Right Decision By Klopp To Block Lovren’s Loan Move?
The ex-Southampton centre-back initially struggled to settle into life at Anfield but has since made his mark as part of Klopp’s first-team over the past couple of seasons. He has been a commanding presence at the centre of the Reds backline and still has a few years left in his tank to perform at a high level alongside Virgil Van Dijk.
Even though the Croatia international needs more game time, the fact remains that he is in with a chance of achieving more success with Liverpool if he can be a solid squad player for them in the coming years. Thus, it might turn out to be a good decision by the club to keep Lovren beyond this summer as both parties will benefit from such a conclusion.
