Burnley have completed the signing of Stoke City left-back Erik Pieters, but should Liverpool have looked at the £5m before he moved to the Clarets?
It’s public knowledge that the Reds need to think of a solution to their problem of finding a back-up for Andy Robertson and they may have missed a trick with Pieters.
The Dutchman has joined the Clarets on a two-year deal after spending six years with Stoke. Their manager Nathan Jones isn’t a fan of Pieters and loaned him out in January before sanctioning this move.
No fee was mentioned, but the 30-year-old is valued at nearly £5 million by Transfermarkt and you’d imagine he’ll slot in as a rotation option behind former Leeds man Charlie Taylor.
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As a back-up for Robertson, Pieters would have been a good option. He’s incredibly experienced and has 169 appearances in the Premier League under his belt as well as 16 caps for the Netherlands.
One thing that counts against the ex-PSV player is his lack of attacking ability. Pieters is very much a defender first and only has seven top flight assists in his whole career.
His attacking output is rated poorly by Smarter Scout, however the new Burnley signing did rate very highly for his ability to get the ball into the box and has a rating of 70/99.
But, he won’t get up the pitch very much because of his below average dribbling ability – something that wouldn’t work under Jurgen Klopp.
Pieters is also excellent at winning headers and tackles, while the Dutchman’s ability to win balls from set pieces makes him a tricky customer at corners and free kicks.
He rates at 92 from aerial duels in open play, 85 for aerial duels from set pieces and 98 for ground duels out of possession (tackles). Basically, the man’s a defensive machine but this has shown that he’s also a decent crosser.
This move could have been a cheap way to bring some more experience into the squad on a short term basis. But, the club clearly have a strong plan and Pieters didn’t fit within that.