When Liverpool decided not to bolster the defense last summer, raising concerns, Jurgen Klopp directed all of his emphasis toward fixing the engine room that was broken.
Maybe a little excessive, but Klopp realized how bad his team was become and wasted no time getting rid of the deadwood at Anfield, bringing in Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch to replace the former stars.
There are many who disagree with the outcomes; Liverpool may not have played at their best, but they still lead the Premier League, have won their Europa League group, and are in the running to face West Ham United in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals.
The team is going through an exciting period, and fans are hoping for successful years ahead. Piero Hincapie of Bayer Leverkusen is one of the candidates for a transfer, as Liverpool needs to strengthen the backline in order to maintain the success.
Liverpool transfer news – Piero Hincapie
According to information obtained by Fussball Transfers, Italian teams AC Milan and AS Roma have expressed interest in signing Ecuadorian defender Hincapie, who has a €70 million (£60 million) release clause in his Leverkusen contract. As a result, Liverpool may face competition for his services.
In England, West Ham under David Moyes is giving equal attention to Liverpool. Earlier in the summer, there were rumors that Liverpool had been in talks with the player’s representatives in an attempt to reach a mutually beneficial agreement with the Bundesliga team.
It didn’t happen, with Klopp and co indeed focussing on revamping the midfield, but now the Reds will need to shift their attention, with Joel Matip’s season-ending ACL injury exacerbating the thinness of the central defence.
Piero Hincapie’s style of play
Although Hincapie is still in the early stages of his professional career, he has already made 91 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, scoring three goals and providing three assists each game. Last season, Hincapie played a significant part for the team, making 43 appearances in all competitions.
Under Xabi Alonso’s leadership, Bayer Leverkusen may be winning and leading the Bundesliga after 15 games—three points ahead of Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich, even though they still have a game left to play—but Hincapie has been a bit part of the team, making just two starts this season.
Despite playing little this season, the 21-year-old has some excellent stats: according to Sofascore, he has completed 96% of his passes and won 100% of his ground duels in the Bundesliga.
The £34k-a-week starlet is among the top 12% of center-halves in Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted, the top 16% for assists, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 19% for successful take-ons, and the top 19% for tackles per ninety. These statistics are based on data from FBref.
The 30-cap Ecuadorian international is a dynamic defender who has been called a “absolute beast” and is predicted by journalist and U23 scout Antonio Mango to become “one of the world’s best center-backs.”
Hincapie, who is also a competent left-back, matches the type of player Liverpool is looking to recruit. He would bolster the left side of the central defense, giving Van Dijk the opportunity to occasionally go to his preferred right side or possibly start as the ideal backup.
Although Van Dijk has been outstanding this season, he will be 33 by the time the 2024–2025 season rolls around, so Liverpool would be well to start looking for potential replacements.
But he’s not done yet; in the upcoming years, he’ll keep leading by example.
Virgil van Dijk’s Liverpool career
One of the most important and well-known acquisitions in contemporary history is Van Dijk, who paid £75 million to sign from Southampton in December 2017. Years of inadequate defense came to an end when he effectively constructed an impenetrable wall in front of the Kop End.
A great deal of notable success followed. Van Dijk will be thrilled to accept the trophy, and even though Klopp’s squad missed out on qualifying for the Champions League the previous season, he now has the chance to earn the one significant honor that has escaped him at Anfield.
The Netherlands player has made 237 appearances, scored 20 goals, and contributed 17 assists. He certainly tried to fool while the Reds were struggling last season. The athlete has received plaudits for his “magnificent” efforts this season from a number of journalists, including Lewis Bower.
This season in the English Premier League, Van Dijk—who is powerful, combative, and authoritative—has performed exceptionally well. He has won 77% of his duels, completed 91% of his passes, and averaged 4.7 ball recoveries and 4.9 clearances per game.
Although Hincapie is capable of learning from Van Dijk and replacing him in the upcoming seasons, losing him is a terrifying prospect. When Liverpool aims to win the Premier League, his influence and hardness in front of Alisson’s goal will be quite significant.
Hincapie hasn’t played much at home this season, but he has led his team and started five Europa League games for Die Werkself. In addition, he has made 5.0 recoveries per game, won 67% of his duels, and finished 89% of his passes.
Hincapie is still a very good player, so even though Alonso has decided not to offer him a regular starting berth in the Bundesliga this year, it is not realistic to expect him to walk right into Klopp’s first squad. Talent scout Jacek Kulig described Hincapie as a “future legend of Ecuadorian football”.
He would instead be gently ushered in, more akin to a zephyr, a gentle wind with a sense of impending disaster. When Hincapie grows into his skin and absorbs traits from Van Dijk while developing his own, he will one day stand as a towering, blazing monster of a defender, succeeding the Reds captain and preserving Liverpool’s place at the top of European football.