Which of Liverpool’s defensive signings will prove good value?

It’s safe to say that none of our new signings have covered themselves in glory; while certain signings were bought with the future in mind, the players who were bought to have an immediate impact have mostly shot themselves in the foot. Unfortunately I can’t cover all our new signings in one post, so for this piece I’ll be concentrating on our defensive signings.

So let’s start with the good news, shall we?

I think one large positive has been our new full backs. Moreno and Manquillo have proved to be far better alternatives to Enrique and Johnson with Flanagan out injured. While both have been prone to positional errors – venturing forward at times when the centre backs have needed them back alongside them – and Moreno has been guilty of botching clearances on a couple of occasions, you would expect them both to cut those errors out of their game as they get older. Both are in their early 20s after all and will get better as they get more experience.

Both have also demonstrated their expertise going forward, particularly with Moreno’s fantastic goal against Spurs and Manquillo’s penalty win against Ludogorets. I’d expect Manquillo to be signed by permanently by the end of the season.

However, Dejan Lovren has been an absolute disaster. After an encouraging friendly debut against Dortmund, Lovren has only gotten worse with every appearance so far. We paid £20m for him to be the commanding presence in the centre of defence that we’d been missing since Carragher’s retirement; it’s as if that pressure got to him. Too often he comes charging forward trying to stop an attack before it gets inside his box, only to botch it and find himself completely out of position with the opponents easily exposing the gap he leaves behind.

His price tag is the only reason he’s starting ahead of Kolo Toure, who is actually in better form than the Croatian somehow. Even Sakho would be a better option, though he is currently injured. I believe Sakho can potentially be a world class centre back, but unfortunately Brendan doesn’t seem to like him for whatever reason so Lovren is still first choice.

Having just returned from injury, Emre Can is actually providing a rare cause for optimism. Since he’s been getting a run of appearances, he’s shown himself to be exactly what our midfield has been missing, particularly in the Chelsea game last weekend when he exploited all the space that Mourinho’s men left in midfield. That energy and dynamism is something that is so vital, particularly with Henderson’s dip in form, and although Can was bought with the future in mind, he could become a key player this season if he stays injury free.

Not only can he help the team going forward but he’s also convincing defensively, way more equipped to help out Gerrard than any other midfielder at our disposal (sadly Lucas just doesn’t have the mobility anymore). I think Can will go on to become a regular face in our midfield.

So there we are. Out of the four signings I’ve discussed, I’d say 3 have been mostly positive with tons of potential. Lovren is the only one I’d consider a flop at this moment in time.

At least individually we have brought in talent. Let’s hope they can raise the team’s game some time soon.

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