Liverpool endured a tough run of games in both the English Premier League and FA Cup in the recent weeks. Since their victory against pandemic-struck Aston Villa, Jurgen Klopp’s men were unable to score a goal, let alone registering a victory.
During their poor form, Burnley broke Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten record at Anfield. The fans and pundits attributed their poor form to the absence of their star defender, Virgil van Dijk, and poor goalscoring form as well.
However, Liverpool took all three points against Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham on Thursday past after three different players found the back of the net for Liverpool. Sadly, the victory wasn’t as sweet as they thought. Jurgen Klopp had to sub Joel Matip as the player picked up an ankle injury.
In the press conference ahead of the West Ham clash, Jurgen Klopp confirmed the ankle ligament injury to their central defender. Initially, the manager had dismissed the claims it was a serious injury to the Cameroon international.
Injury to Matip leaves Liverpool without a senior center-back and the injury crisis is worsening at the moment for Klopp. In the due course of an injury-ridden season, 11 different defensive pairings has been used in the heart of Liverpool’s defense.
In order to address the issue, Liverpool are set to sign Shkodran Mustafi according to the reports.
"One name that has not been dismissed by Liverpool insiders is Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi, who could be available on a free transfer if the Gunners agree to cancel the contract of the German World Cup winner(Via: Sunday World)"
Liverpool have been linked with a host of defenders since the news of Matip
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Liverpool have been linked with the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano but they are considered as long-term targets. With just two days remaining in the transfer window, signing star players seems impossible as none of the teams like to lose their stars without a replacement during January.
Shkodran Mustafi is left with just six months on his contract and can sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs across Europe. Even the Italian club, Lazio, is interested in luring the former Valencia star away from Emirates on a free transfer.
Arsenal signed Mustafi from Valencia for a fee of €41 million in the summer transfer window of the 2016/17 season. The German international has featured 151 times for the Emirates outfit in four seasons and has 13 G/A to his name.
However, Mikel Arteta has sidelined the central defender since the arrival of Gabriel and Luiz at Emirates. In 2020/21, Shkodran has only three Premier League appearances to his name.
Previously in a press conference, Jurgen Klopp admitted that he requires a defender at Anfield. However, he also admitted that he will not cry like a “five-year-old” if his wishes aren’t addressed.
He said:
"And it is not that I say by the way, a centre-half would be really nice and they say wow, a centre half, really, why? So it is not not like this. It is all clear. It is all on the table. We work on that, you can imagine.But I cannot spend the money. I don’t make these decisions. There are people who are responsible for the whole thing, and I cannot make their decisions. I am not a five-year-old kid any more and if I don’t get what I want I start crying(Via: Goal)"
Liverpool are in fourth place on the points table after the victory against Tottenham. They go up against West Ham United who are also surprisingly in the top-four race.
A defeat on Sunday can be a death blow for Liverpool’s ambitions. It remains interesting to see who will be the new defensive pairing for Liverpool on Sunday.