Why Matthijis De Ligt would be the perfect signing

Liverpool are potentially stuck in a difficult situation with the obvious lack of depth at centre back, due to suspensions and injuries.

But there is one centre back that would provide more than just depth, but rather a dominant presence.

Virgil van Dijk has without a doubt been the most impressive centre-half in England this season, but more importantly, he has greatly stabilized an often volatile Reds defence. Without his presence in the first leg of Liverpool’s game against Bayern, along with lingering injuries to Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren, Jurgen Klopp’s men are playing with a severe disadvantage.

VVD was suspended due to the accumulation of yellow cards, the last being a near dangerous tackle into the ankle of Napoli star Dries Mertens.

Joe Gomez sustained his broken leg at the start of December during a match at Turf Moor. Lovren’s continuous hamstring issues persist and are thus an obvious issue. One can imagine that Fabinho will likely be the recipient of the minutes at centre back, created by this vacancy.

The ensuing argument is not one that is necessarily realistic, however, it will engage in analysis of options to bolster the Reds’ squad. Klopp does have some form of depth in the midfield, but not as much in attack. The vital cog in Klopp’s apparatus is the back line, which when stable allows such a vast assortment of offensive attacks to sprout from.

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If a team has two stellar options at centre-half with a very talented backup they can sustain a consistently formidable title bid for multiple years. The whole squad is important, yet when playing from the back on out Klopp has been able to create something remarkable in that he is able to claim the maximum points even when his side is not at its best.

This player equates to a dream scenario, however, it is worth discussing because of the importance of this philosophy.

This player is Matthijs De Ligt.

De Ligt is renown for his promising traits, including his height, strength and speed. His young age also implies the true room to grow that this starlet defender has.

Besides the Dutchman’s massive defensive presence, he is also an outstanding asset on set pieces with his 188 cm height. His pass percentage of 90% last season was enough to give him the highest mark in all of the Netherlands. He is able to not only stop an attack but sprout an effective counter-attack.

He can deliver a solid diversity of long balls and short, accurate passes thus indicating that he will provide a good fit for nearly any system, especially that of Klopp. His dominance in the Champions League has been one obvious portion of his rapid development this season.

In a match against Bayern Munich earlier this season he was able to majorly limit their potent attack, specifically striker Robert Lewandowski. Ultimately the match resulted in a 1-1 draw. Another significant moment took place in Athens.

Facing AEK Athens, Ajax fans rose in a tumult do to a petrol bomb being tossed into their section, which was swiftly responded to by an assault of Athenian SWAT officers. De Ligt walked over to the Ajax end of the pitch to attempt to calm the fans down. This is one example of his leadership, as he has been captaining the Ajax squad quite a few times already.

He would be a significant presence for any European club, yet his presence can be felt nowhere more clearly than in Anfield. Although he is likely to sign with Barcelona or Juventus, the young centre-half would combine with Van Dijk to form a nearly impenetrable wall of a back line.

Such a trustworthy back line allows the remaining players, full-backs and attackers, to charge up the field and attempt to score. He may not be the likeliest of options, yet he might be the perfect fit.