Liverpool: What defender of the past would be the perfect match for Virgil van Dijk

Mr Invincible – Kolo Toure

Duration: 2013-2016
Appearances: 46
Current Team: Retired

One of the most successful African players to grace the EPL, the Ivorian was part of Arsenal’s “invincibles” squad in 2003/2004, where they won the Premier League title. Touré was an excellent player, adapting to many positions before becoming the centre-back he is known today.

He played in multiple positions for Arsenal. He played as a defensive midfielder and right-back due to Sol Campbell and Tony Adams making up the centre-back pairing at the time. Touré eventually signed for Manchester City in 2009, where he again won another Premier League trophy, making him one of only eight players to win the league title with two different teams.

The former Reds defender and current Leicester City assistant coach joined Liverpool on a free transfer from City in 2013. While some fans thought it was good business, some also thought the Ivorian was past his best.

Being more of a backup centre-back to Škrtel, Lovren, and Sakho, Touré only made 46 appearances during his time at Liverpool, which is okay considering the Reds got him on a free. After his three year stint, Touré signed for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership winning the league title in the 2016/2017 season.