OPINION
The last thing that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will have wanted from Monday night’s defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers was an injury to centre back Dejan Lovren.
However, that is what the German got. The Croatian limped off after just six minutes of the 2-1 defeat at Molineux to worsen a worrying crisis at the back for the Reds, with the club later confirming on their official website that he had suffered a hamstring injury.
Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and now Lovren are all sidelined for Klopp’s team at present, leaving only Virgil van Dijk as a fully fit senior centre half at Anfield.
Perhaps, then, a January move for Porto defender Eder Militao could be in order. The Daily Star reported on Monday that Liverpool are one of several teams tracking the 20-year-old, who has made a big impression in Portugal this season.
There is a £42.5million price tag attached to the youngster, but considering the combination of his age and his talent that would likely be little problem for the Reds.
Militao is a wonderfully gifted footballer who has really nailed down a first team spot at the Estadio Drago since his summer move from Sao Paolo.
He has played a lot of football already at a young age and is someone who is only going to get better moving forward.
Matip and Lovren are both decent centre backs, but they’re not at the level of Van Dijk, Gomez nor Militao. Having those three all wearing Liverpool red would give Klopp an extremely strong base at the heart of his side moving forward.
Van Dijk is going to be around for some time to come, but Gomez and Militao would both be 10 year+ propositions at Anfield. So not only would the Brazilian be a fine purchase in the short term, he would shore up the Liverpool defence moving forward as well.
The race for Militao is expected to be a hot one, but given recent developments it’s imperative that the Reds win it.
