Interesting that Klopp has twice moved Trent fully into CM in the last two, or that’s what I gathered as much from the subs today and did with Bradley on Thursday.
I do wonder if it might be what he does.
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A CB will absolutely be needed, if not this January, then surely next summer. And it’s no breaking news.
Matip showed some decent signs lately, but no, overall looking at the situation, it’s not enough to offer him a new contract. There has to be a time where we evaluate and decide it’s time to say thank you for your services and move onto new players. If we were willing to keep him, I believe there would’ve been rumours already. In less than a month, he can technically negotiate with a new club for next summer.
Konate is not playing enough games and even when he’s fully fit, he hasn’t really developed into a “so good that he almost doesn’t need competition” level of player. Might get there, certainly good enough to be here and continue working with him, but he can’t be viewed as a starter with a physically finished Matip and Joe Gomez as his competition. There’s no upgrading.
Gomez is not of the level to be one of the main CB options, his best trait remains that he’s a versatile defender. More for full back positions and certain lesser games centrally. Can’t be that forever and his time to be sold will also come, but possibly still not next summer.
Quansah is showing promise and might well be here next season as part of our CB’s. So far, so good. You sense by Klopp’s quotes that he believes in his ceiling. We’ll need to see more from him, more sample.
Could see a situation for next season where we have: Virgil, a new CB, Konate and Quansah. Gomez possibly still kept as a full back option, which might also depend on how Bradley (or Ramsay, but more difficult for him) shows himself.
It is the situation that I expect on the account of past four months. I’m trying not to get too excited for Quansah but Klopp is not doing him any favours there. I’ve already said that I expected Europa League to give us a few players - Quansah might be one but we’ll see where he’s at in six months or so.
Konate is having his first real career wobble, at Liverpool at least, so I’m expecting a proper reply from him. He went from being a beast to being a rich man’s Sakho, with the added minus of being prone to injuries. So, a centre back is a must, especially if he keeps Gomez playing and improving on the right and gets Konate to return to his absolute best.
As long as Gomez is content to be a back up we should keep him for his versatility.
Quansah looks like a future star, but too early to say.
Konate is having a dip in form, but has the attributes.
Matip is aging and injury prone, but still our second best CB.
We need a top class replacement for him.
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Ideally get in a left footed CB. Or transition Robbo into a left footed CB role. Get in another LB.
City pretty much play with a static back 4 + 2 now. We don’t need to follow their blueprint exactly
Bakayoko with another solid performance yesterday, and set up the equalizer in PSV’s 1-2 win in Rotterdam against Feyenoord. 12 goal involvements (4 G, 8 A) in 14 matches in Eredivisie. A main cog in PSV’s 14-0-0 start. Just continues to impress.
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dare I point out that Sakho at his best was a beast and an absolutely dominating defender… just had too many days mistakes crept in and worse too many days he didn’t take training seriously…
That said… I agree Konate has been a shakier of late than he was and agree that I would expect him to recapture his form because he can be the kind of defender who makes a striker give up before halftime.
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Konate will be just fine if he can stay healthy and get a run of games. It’s hard to come in after being injured all the time. His fitness issues are a concern, and it will be that and not a lack of quality that will have us potentially looking at a big center back signing.
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Whisper it quietly, but I could see Konate going to PSG at some point. He’s a Paris lad, and he recently fluttered his eyelashes in that direction.
To my mind he is an excellent central defender - pace, power, the lot. But as others are saying, he can’t seem to put a season together, and tends to miss a lot of games.
Arguably we will sign two central defenders to replace Matip and Konate, perhaps not at the same time, but I see a group emerging something like this: VVD (aging and used sparingly at some point, though not yet), newbie 1, newbie 2, Gomez and Quansah.
I could be completely barking up the wrong tree, but I don’t think Konate will be rock solid here for years to come.
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Have to disagree with you here. I think he’s a great athlete who will hopefully spend the better part of 8y here. he’s a BIG lad and sometimes that can be a detriment.
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Yeah, that’s why I hope he doesn’t become too big for his own good. He’s strong already, so please don’t go full Lukaku. His reaction at Fulham’s 3rd goal was also pretty bad. Moved like an oil tanker.
We do not need a 6. Endo, bajetic, mac. CB for me.
Baj has a very long term injury if you hadn’t noticed. Who knows when or if he’ll be back?
Mac is not a natural DM.
That leaves one.
Lavia would have been handy.
Well he would be currently injured.
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Ah but if he had signed for us… (butterfly effect) things would have been different.
Everton would be on -10 points; Pep would have OD’d on Coke; 10 Hag would have done enough to be safe until Anfield…
Wait, one of these things must occur in all timelines.
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Knowing our record he would be injured 
We need to buy a CB in January.
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Given that Matip is likely to be crocked until the end of his contract that would be wise. It will depend on whether a suitable candidate is available. I’ve always suspected that we may sign someone anyway if it was possible.
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We have Quansah. He will be trusted and get games over a busy period handsomely rewarding Klopp’s faith in him only for Gomez to do his knee on Jan29th forcing us back into the market with just a couple of days to go
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