Van Dijk-esque: Liverpool can forget Guehi with D-day bid for £23m "leader"
da dobrowin： Barring some late jeopardy, Liverpool look to have signed their top summer target, Alexander Isak, from Newcastle United, having agreed a record-breaking £130m deal with the Tynesiders.
da lvbet： The Sweden star, who scored 27 goals for the Magpies last season as they won the Carabao Cup, is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, and adds so much potential to a Liverpool side already feared by all.
FSG have got the big one over the line, but they remain intent on signing another top Premier League talent at the other end of the field.
Liverpool looking to sign Premier League star
Crystal Palace are locked in a last-gasp bid to sign Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Igor Julio, thus strengthening and opening the door for Marc Guehi to sign for Arne Slot’s champions.
However, Oliver Glasner has made it clear that he wants the Three Lions star to stay at Selhurst Park, especially after Guehi’s spectacular goal in a 3-0 romp over Aston Villa on Sunday evening.
And if the Austrian tactician gets his wish, Liverpool might need to shift their focus, perhaps moving for another summer target in Nathan Collins, having entered the race for the Irish centre-half at the start of August.
Despite the late hour of the window, Liverpool could strike a shrewd deal in bringing the 24-year-old over, especially since he has proven himself dependable on the pitch and reliable on the fitness front.
What Collins would bring to Liverpool
Brentford signed Collins from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £23m in July 2023, and he has since proved his technical quality and ability to command from the rearguard, hailed by journalist Sam Tabuteau for being a “future leader”.
Collins might not be the flashiest or most exciting name that Liverpool have been linked with this summer, but there’s little question that he has what it takes to star for Slot’s side, challenging Ibrahima Konate for a place alongside skipper Virgil van Dijk.
Indeed, he’s deceptively progressive on the ball, athletic and mobile too. But more importantly, Collins is crisp and commanding in the duel, also keeping his error count on the low.
In many ways, he is like Van Dijk himself, with that comparison having been made in the past by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who noted that he is a “complete & dominant” defender.
PL 24/25 – Guehi vs Collins
Stats (* per game)
Guehi
Collins
Matches (starts)
34 (34)
38 (38)
Goals
3
2
Assists
2
3
Touches*
64.9
65.7
Pass completion
84%
86%
Big chances
5
3
Key passes*
0.5
0.3
Ball recoveries*
4.3
4.3
Dribbles*
0.4
0.3
Tackles + interceptions*
2.6
2.0
Clearances*
4.6
5.8
Duels (won)*
4.9 (59%)
5.1 (61%)
Errors made
2
3
Data via Sofascore
It perhaps helps that Collins shares some of Guehi’s ball-playing ability, ranking among the top 8% of positional peers across the past 365 days for goal-creating actions per 90.
Given that Liverpool have already signed a prodigious youngster in Giovanni Leoni this summer, this could be the ideal, shrewd signing to dynamise and complete backline, evening out the squad’s balance, so to speak.
Collins was also the only outfield player to have featured across every minute of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, further underscoring his capacity to stand strong against the current and succeed in the role touted for Guehi down Anfield Road.