As Liverpool prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup final with Chelsea, one of the biggest dilemmas Jurgen Klopp has to face is regarding who starts at centre-back, with Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate both vying for a place alongside Virgil van Dijk at Wembley. Thankfully for the Reds boss, the situation he finds himself in is stark contrast to last season, however.
Liverpool infamously saw their Premier League title defence fall apart after losing both Van Dijk and Matip, along with Joe Gomez, to season-ending injuries, as Klopp was left without any senior centre-backs for over half the campaign as a result. In their absence, the German turned to midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as well as youngsters Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams, but once the January transfer window opened, the club had little choice but to add to the ranks.
On transfer deadline day, the Reds snapped up Ben Davies from Championship side Preston North End in a cut-price deal and brought in Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke. However, the duo weren’t the only centre-backs Liverpool looked at, with Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car reportedly left waiting at the airport for permission, which never came, to fly to England to complete a deal.
