What’s the deal with Paul Konchesky?

Many believe that the signing of Paul Konchesky is a sign of how far Liverpool have fallen. The 29 year old sealed a move from Fulham on the final day of the transfer window with youngsters Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic going in the other direction. Like many Reds fans, I have my misgivings about signing the player; after all you couldn’t imagine any other of the top six clubs making a bid for the player to make him their first choice left back. However I am willing to bide my time and wait and see whether Konchesky can be an astute signing. After all, it was never realistic that the Reds could buy a top class left back. The prices for players such as Fabio Coentrao, Taye Taiwo and any other you care to mention would be very high and it was unrealistic to expect the Reds to finance moves for such players with the current financial constraints.

In the end Roy Hodgson stuck with a player he knows, somebody he knows the capabilities of rather than an unknown quantity from abroad. His attributes will certainly fit in well to Liverpool’s formation and he will know how Roy’s defensive system works. He can slot in straight away without much hassle and know exactly what the boss requires of him. Hodgson’s tactical emphasis throughout his career has been on team shape, and Konchesky will know more than most about the regimented training exercises that Roy employs. Working alongside an experienced back four, Konchesky is no novice himself and should be a solid if unspectacular performer if his previous spells at Charlton, West Ham and Fulham are anything to go by. Former Reds defender Gary Gillespie believes Konchesky should perform well:

“In modern football width comes from the full-backs, so there is probably more emphasis on attacking defenders more than back in my day. He is a player who will get down the left side and attack. He is naturally left-footed and that gives us good balance down that flank. . . It’s a department we’ve been looking to strengthen for quite a while. Roy Hodgson obviously knows him very well from Fulham. That’s just a natural thing because managers look to players they know and trust.”

Konchesky has had an up and down career. After finding himself frozen out at Charlton after falling out with manager Alan Curbishley over his preferred position; Konchesky handed in a transfer request. Curbishley had given the player his debut aged 16 years and 93 days, a record for the club, but his request for a transfer made the pair fall out big time. After a brief loan spell at Tottenham, he was bought by West Ham. He had a great spell at the club helping the team to the FA Cup final and winning his second England cap in the process. The arrival of Alan Curbishley as manager at Upton Park however hastened his exit and he transferred to Fulham for £3.25m. He established himself at left back at Craven Cottage and was a stalwart at the back for Roy Hodgson as he helped Fulham to the Europa League final last season.

Without being too harsh on Konchesky though, like Poulsen, the English defender is at the time of his career where he hasn’t got many years left at the top. Hodgson is most likely looking for a short term fix and bringing somebody in he can trust at this time is essential. We have been looking for a left back for the entire summer, and it has become apparent that there wasn’t going to be a great deal of money to spend without the sale of a star player. To this end, in my mind, Konchesky was a logical choice by Hodgson; whether it will be the right one we will have to wait and see.

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