It will be fascinating to see which areas of their squad Liverpool look to strengthen this summer. Having brought Luis Diaz to the club in January, will reinforcements be looked at for positions away from the front three?
The Reds’ only major signing ahead of this season was Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig. With his acquisition meaning Liverpool’s quartet of senior centre-backs are all under contract for at least the next two years, it would not appear likely that they will be in the market for another central defender in 2022.
Yet rumours persist that Gleison Bremer is a player in that position whom they are looking to add to their roster. Such stories have been circulating for around two years, and a new report from Calciomercato has claimed that the 25-year-old will cost approximately £33million.
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That seems a decent enough price for a player on the verge of entering his peak years and with three seasons of Serie A experience, but would he be a good signing for Liverpool? Based on his data, it appears Bremer might not be the right man for a Jurgen Klopp team, despite some very clear strengths.
One way in which the Torino defender is elite is in the field of intercepting opposition passes. He has done this on 107 occasions so far this season, the most of any player in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. An ability to read the play and anticipate what opposing attackers are going to do next is vital for a defender, and Bremer looks to have that covered.
But another of his strengths wouldn’t necessarily work with the Reds, and this may seem a counterintuitive suggestion too. The former Atletico Mineiro man has made the sixth more pressures in Serie A in 2021/22, illustrating his fierce desire to close down and engage opponents.
Where this might sound like manna from heaven to Klopp, the king of gegenpressing, his centre-backs do not defend in this fashion. Bremer has made 130 pressures more than Joe Gomez, Konate, Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk combined. Torino have a lower possession average than the Reds (as most teams do) but that’s a vastly different defensive style to that which the current central defenders at Anfield utilise.
He may not be suitable for Liverpool’s system in another way, at least initially. Torino manager Ivan Juric has sent his side out with a back three for every match this season, something Klopp has only ever done twice across his time with Liverpool. Bremer has admitted he is happier in that system too, saying: “I prefer a three-man defence because it’s in line with the system with which I’ve consecrated myself.”
It's interesting to see that the Brazilian normally plays in the centre of Torino’s back three and presses more often (17 times per 90 minutes) than any of the players either side of him (who all average 11-12). It would appear he prospers in a very specific role and one which does not currently exist at Liverpool.
With an eye towards the rigours of the Premier League, something else which initially looks like a strength for Bremer actually reveals a weakness which many teams in England would certainly look to exploit. He currently stands seventh in the big league chart for aerial duels won in 2021/22, which makes him sound perfect for defending against direct sides.
However, Bremer is 13th in the table of most duels lost in the air too. While he is in credit overall, his success rate of 53 percent (per FBRef) falls a long way short of what Liverpool demand from their centre-backs. Their least successful in the air this season (which, perhaps surprisingly, is Matip) has still won 70 percent of the duels he has contested, while van Dijk is second in the top five leagues for win rate among players with at least 150 attempts.
No matter Bremer’s strengths, it’s hard to see a transfer analyst with the Reds inputting his details into their system and getting a positive response. Being a good player and being the right player are not the same thing.
