Liverpool have recently been holding talks with defender Dejan Lovren about the possibility of signing a new contract. The importance of the Croatian defender has grown substantially in the last few months. Manager Jurgen Klopp is aware that the Liverpool back four needs significant strengthening, with Lovren seen as the only player capable of holding his place next season alongside Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Matip. The rest of the defence is in badly need of a revamp.
Lovren has impressed manager Klopp in recent months. Following the departure of Mamadou Sakho on a loan deal to Crystal Palace, there are very few alternatives for Klopp to call upon in the Liverpool squad. Yet, there has been no need to replace Lovren, a player who has made 1.3 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game on an average this season.
His contract runs out in the summer of 2019, and there were recent reports that Liverpool were planning to extend this contract. However, the club reportedly suffered a setback upon learning that Lovren was not interested in having any contract talks until the end of the season. While this appears to be the norm for top players, it raises plenty of uncertainty, as he would have only two years left on his contract in the summer.
Now, though, the player has confirmed that he is on the verge of signing a new deal with Liverpool. He said:
“Progress (on the contract) is going on and I’d say that hopefully everything will be clear in the next month.
“Like I’ve said many times about my future, I’m really happy here. I’m settled after everything that happened in the beginning.
“I just want to improve every day here, show my quality and give my best for the club.”
The former Southampton defender has been at Anfield since 2014 after being brought in by former boss Brendan Rodgers. After initially struggling to settle at Anfield, he has been one of the finest defenders at the club. This has even helped convince Klopp to do away with names like Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho. Yet, the lack of a proper partnership has meant that Liverpool have the worst defensive record amongst teams in the top six.
**Stats taken from WhoScored.com
