Premier League clubs West Ham United and Liverpool are eyeing a move for Swedish left back Ludwig Augustinsson according to reports. Calcio Mercato have claimed that the English clubs were ready to secure his signature earlier this year but the move didn’t happen as the player opted to remain at FC Copenhagen.
The Reds are looking very dangerous under Klopp going forward at the moment but defensively there are still major question marks with the left back position being a real problem. Augustinsson can provide the solution needed by Liverpool to mount a serious title challenge by stabilising the left fullback position.
Liverpool’s options in the left fullback position are currently Alberto Moreno and James Milner. While Moreno is not convincing at all defensively, often making individual mistakes and vacating his position, Milner is not a natural fullback, which is why he prefers to be deployed in the midfield rather than in the defence. The Swedish international thus would provide the solution being a natural fullback excellent defensively.
A product of Brommapojkarna’s academy, the 22-year old has played two senior seasons with the club before leaving for IFK Göteborg in 2013. With an injury-filled first year, his breakthrough had to wait until the 2014 season, in which he was named the best left back of the campaign. A move to Copenhagen followed in January 2015 for an estimated record fee of €1.4 million.
Augustinsson’s good performances persisted with club and country as he continued to impress in his position and he made a mark internationally with the Sweden U21 squad that won the European U21 championship in 2015.
A defender with pace and ability to deliver great crosses into the box, the fullback is excellent in defending his flank and rarely ends up being the second best in the duels. Domestically, in the Danish Superliga, the fullback is renowned for making an impact attack-wise with his assists as well as be the highlight of his team’s rock solid defence.
A player who is not shy to express his talents on the pitch or his feelings off it (he made the headlines for calling England U21 side ‘Overrated’), the fullback comes from a family of sportsmen and women. Augustinsson’s father was a footballer and his mother played volleyball for Sweden internationally.
With 81 caps in all competitions for his current club and 6 caps for his senior international team so far, the 22-year old is experienced enough to make a move to the next level. It would be interesting to see if Liverpool are able to secure his signing in the coming transfer window with West Ham as well as AC Milan in the race. If that happens then Anfield would pin their hopes on Augustinsson, who is actually a boyhood fan of Manchester United, to be the missing piece for Liverpool in their hunt for the first Premier league title.
