Liverpool are reportedly keeping an eye on Brighton’s Ben White, with a view to signing the defender in the summer.
The centre-back has been long-admired by the Reds’ scouting team, with it being speculated that the Englishman has accumulated enough Premier League experience to make him a viable target for the club at the season end.
“Long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, plus Joel Matip’s ongoing fitness issues, mean that Jurgen Klopp’s defence has had a rather makeshift look to it recently,” David Byrom wrote for the Echo. “One player who has been talked about and who is of genuine interest is Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ben White.”
“The Reds scouted White extensively last season during his successful loan spell with Leeds United in the Championship but opted against making a move last summer due to the recognition that the centre-back would need more top-level experience before being ready to make the switch to Anfield,” the journalist added. “With Liverpool’s recruitment system operating two transfer windows ahead, any assessments on White were with a view to the 2021 summer market.”
At 23-years-old, White would be a potentially brilliant signing for us in the summer, with the club looking to the future.
However, with the long-term injuries sustained to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, the outlined timing of the potential signing isn’t one that would solve Jurgen Klopp’s immediate problem.
The Anfield side have been linked to a host of defenders of late – unsurprisingly, considering their current circumstances – with it looking increasingly unlikely that the German will bring in anyone to fill in the temporary gap.
Normally, if Joel Matip was capable of keeping fit for a string of games, the duo of the Cameroonian and Fabinho would probably be enough to see us through to the end of the season; the former’s injury-proneness, however, throws a considerable spanner in the works.
Of course, one may be inclined to argue that, should the Reds’ front-line recover their form (a likelihood, considering the return of Thiago Alcantara), any defensive frailty may be balanced going forward.