I’ve “definitely” seen the Seville one play RB before, but know he’s primarily a CB.
And by definitely I mean I totally might have imaged in it, but convinced myself of the truth of my recollection.
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Maybe. Small and has some pace, would make sense if he can cover that position if needed.
I understand and respect the injury concerns but it’s also subjective. Look at Jota. Never missed a match in 3 straight seasons (or something close to that) then is out for 3 months the minute he puts on a Liverpool shirt.
We talk at length on here about all the analytics our recruitment team works with and we have to trust that, if he is indeed their target. My guess is Konate checks all the boxes The Boss looks for in the position.
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I would have strongly preferred Upamecano, and was hoping we’d get something done with Leipzig before Bayern snatched him up. But Konate is a very talented CB. He’s excellent in the air - almost Van-Dijk-ian - and his ability to play out from the back is quite good. He’s also very pacey.
With Gomez and Matip seemingly unable to stay fit for long periods, bringing in a quality CB was essential. Konate is a good buy - if he can stay fit for longer periods than he has recently. I still think we should consider keeping Kabak as insurance as well, because there is no doubt in my mind that Matip is going to get hurt again and we’ll need a quality fifth choice CB to step up. There remains the question about whether Phillips is under contract beyond this season; if so, you could probably stomach letting Kabak return to Schalke. But I think for 18M, the value is there if you decide to keep him and flip him.
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Matip - 195cm
Konate - 194cm
Virgil - 193cm
Gomez - 188cm
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Add Berge to replace Gini and we will have gone from a tiny team to a giant one…
We also have Fabinho (1,88m) and Grujic (1,90m)
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He has to be better than Upemecano. He was shite against us
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What about Mukiele, though…
Looks like a thug of a defender, wherever he plays.
Proof that some dross can also squeeze through even Red Bull’s famous system.
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Obligatory YouTube scout highlight reel with shit soundtrack, and proclamation that we.must sign this player coming up…
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Economy and market conditions being what they are at any given time, given Konate’s age and upside £41M release clause really isn’t an overly eye watering sum.
There’s always “value buys” to be found in the market but for comparison shopping:
Schalke initially put a £30M price tags on Kabak.
City paid £41 for Nathan Ake.
Bayern paid roughly £40M for Upamecano.
Leicester paid £38M on a promising but very unproven 20 year old Wes Fofana.
Everton paid £30M for Ben Godfrey
Arsenal paid £23 for Gabriel
If the The Boss, Edwards, and recruitment team think Konate is their man, the fee really isn’t all that outlandish.
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My last post, won’t keep spamming the thread but suffice to say I hope he becomes a Liverpool player. Really believe under this coaching group the sky is the limit for him. Will only be 22 this Summer.
More on Konate’s injury record. Make of this Twitter thread what you will and to draw your own conclusions.
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Nahhhhh. C’mon. I hope this is the classic Edwards smokescreen, though the timing is strange.
It’s not £40 million. It’s €40 million, around £35 million.
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Konate just looks like a modern centerback. He is athletic and a progressive passer with the ball at his feet. I think he would pair extremely well with Van Dijk and is suited for Liverpool’s aggressive “heavy metal” system. My only concern is can he stay health, If he can LFC will have a pair of STUDs patrolling the backline.
I do question now whether we will buy Kabak though, unless MATIP is somehow sold first.
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This is interesting. When you see him on the videos, you wouldn’t guess that he’s almost as tall as Matip, and even taller than VVD. That’s probably because he’s a monster in terms of physicality, and moves extremely fast.
Starting to become excited about this one.
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Well, not that excited! 
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I know it was only a couple of games but thought Upemecano was shocking in both legs against us. The Ever Green could turn faster. The small, skilful players would have a field day against him