17-year-old Sepp van den Berg has emerged as the Reds’ first signing of the summer and the new recruit seemingly has a lot of potential.
With some vital statistics from Statsbomb, it looks like the Dutch defender is more in the mould of Joe Gomez rather than Virgil van Dijk.
Seems an *active* defender, stylistically opposite to VVD and closer to Gomez.
— Grace Robertson🧜♀️⚧♀️ (@GraceOnFootball) June 25, 2019
Grace Robertson’s tweet here claims that Van den Berg is seemingly an “active defender” and the complex data in the graph supports the claim our £1.3 million signing is very much on the front foot.
To put it simply, the stats show the young Dutchman has made a lot of tackles and interceptions while experiencing a lot of pressure at the back.
This is to be expected after 15 league appearances for PEC Zwolle this season – the Eredivisie side finished the campaign in 13th, just six points off the relegation play-off zone in the Dutch league.
The comparisons to Gomez extend beyond his apparent playing style; as Neil Jones over at Goal has suggested, “Liverpool see similarities between van den Berg and Joe Gomez, who was bought from Charlton as an 18-year-old in 2015.
“The players share an agent, and reports from the Netherlands suggest they share plenty of characteristics too.
“Like Gomez, van den Berg is said to be mature beyond his years, physically precocious – he already stands at 6ft 3in – and extremely comfortable in possession for a young defender.”
Liverpool have completed the signing of Sepp van den Berg; he might only be 17 but he will join up with Jurgen Klopp’s squad on July 6 at Melwood. The club will decide how he develops but there are parallels with Joe Gomez signing. Initial fee is £1.3m 🔴
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) June 27, 2019
Though some Reds were hoping for another Dutch teenage centre-back in the form of Matthijs de Ligt, the arrival of Van den Berg could prove to be a cunning addition to Jürgen Klopp’s personnel.