Liverpool keeping an eye on Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan Ndicka
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Evan Ndicka will be a free agent once his contract at the club expires later this year (Transfermarkt). The 23-year-old French centre-back is a transfer target for Liverpool among plenty of other clubs including the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
Ndicka is a versatile player who can play centre-back and left-back as well. In 162 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit, the player has 10 goals and as many assists to boot which is a lot for a centre-back. Liverpool’s current midfielders do not have so many goal contributions to be fair.
The Reds’ current options in centre-back include Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Nathaniel Phillips. Both Joel and Virgil are 31 years of age and long-term replacements for the players are also set in the form of Ibou and Gomez.
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, speaking on the Football Terrace (h/t Liverpool Echo), the Reds are one of a number of clubs who are showing an interest in signing Ndicka in the summer and here is what he said:
“This is a player that is hotly being pursued and will be tremendous value in the summer, assuming that no new contract is agreed with Eintracht Frankfurt,”
“There’s a mad, mad chase on all across Europe for the 23-year-old. Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea potentially. Liverpool have kept an eye on him and a whole variety of others all across Europe. PSG is another option.”
While Ndicka is a talented player, there is no immediate need for Liverpool to sign him as they already have a strong group of centre-backs. Adding another player to this position would only create competition and could lead to some players not getting enough playing time as we see in the case of Nat, or even Gomez at times.
Do the Reds need the services of Ndicka?
Instead, Liverpool’s midfield is an area that the club should focus on in the transfer market. The midfield has been stagnant throughout the entire season, and the team has certainly struggled to control games and create chances. Injuries and a lack of depth have depleted the midfield, hindering the team’s performance.
Maybe there would come a better opportunity for the Reds to get on board a special talent like Ndicka, but the fact of the matter is, he is certainly not among the immediate needs for Liverpool, and instead, we could focus on strengthening a weaker aspect of our side.
More Liverpool News:
- Liverpool opt out of activating Arthur Melo’s buyout clause
- Andy Cole has jumped to the defence of Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez
- Bacary Sagna believes that Liverpool will not finish in the top four of the Premier League
As brought attention to earlier as well, the midfield is the major area of concern for the Reds, and there will come ample opportunities in the future when it comes to strengthening the defence but this transitional phase cries out loud for a midfielder or two by the summer window.
