Liverpool recall centre-back Billy Koumetio from loan spell at Austria Wien
The Reds recall French centre-back Billy Koumetio from his loan spell at Bundesliga 2 side Austria Wien prematurely. He was supposed to have his loan deal until 30th June 2023 [SofaScore] but as it stands, the player will be back on his way to Merseyside.
The 20-year-old made 15 appearances in the season, starting seven games for Wien and Wien II, and that could be one of the reasons why the loan deal ended in a premature fashion. It is possible that the player was not necessarily getting the desired game time and hence, saw himself come back home.
The player has two seniors appearances for the Reds. He made his debut against FC Midtjylland in December 2020 in the UEFA Champions League. Until Stefan Bajcetic broke the record, Koumetio was the youngest to represent Liverpool in the competition.
A FIFA fan like the author would remember him as one of the first players in the Liverpool squad to be sent out on loan. Although there is no reason why the club recalled Koumetio, game time could be the only reason apart from anything else.
Can Billy play in midfield?
The recent injury to Virgil van Dijk meant that the Reds stand without the services of their talisman defender for a month. However, recalling a young growing player to replace one of the world’s best is certainly not something the Reds would do. Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Nathaniel Phillips are the current centre-back options at the club.
But as far as Koumetio is concerned, the Liverpool academy graduate will in all likelihood play for the U21 side and from thereon, if the need arises, could transition to the first team.
However, as of now, the immediate need for the club is midfielders, and even though this repetitiveness is stressful, the requirement is absolutely essential. There are certainly no two ways about it.
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While having a strong defence is important, it does not compensate for the lack of midfield depth and quality. In order to address the midfield issue, Liverpool need to sign experienced midfielders to provide competition and quality in the squad.
