As the transfer window drew to a close in the halls of the AXA Training Centre, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch completing the midfield rebuild, lingering concerns remained.
Had Liverpool left themselves short by failing to bring in a new centre-back? The shift to a new system towards the end of the previous campaign certainly suggested Jürgen Klopp would benefit from another addition, with question marks over Andy Robertson’s role in particular.
By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
Levi Colwill was touted as the primary target, but the 20-year-old opted to sign a new six-year contract – with an option to extend for a further 12 months – as part of Chelsea’s bloated new era. There had been long-term interest in Joško Gvardiol, but the lure of the Etihad and the petrodollars of Manchester City proved too attractive for the Croatian.
Micky van de Ven was courted, but the Dutchman ended up at Tottenham; links with Jurrien Timber proved fleeting as he swapped Ajax for Arsenal; and speculation over Sporting CP’s Gonçalo Inácio was roundly dismissed.
In truth, it was a summer whereby few elite-level – or elite-potential – centre-backs were on the market, and fewer were on the move. Of the 15 somewhat-credibly linked with Liverpool, only five – Gvardiol, Van de Ven, Timber, Benjamin Pavard and Evan Ndicka – ended up changing clubs.
But still, despite an outlay of close to £150 million by the time the deadline passed, there remained a disquiet among sections of the Reds’ support over an opportunity missed.
That could, realistically, have already been exposed with just a month-and-a-half of the season gone, with Virgil van Dijk missing two games due to suspension, Ibrahima Konate absent for two with a hamstring injury and Joe Gomez’s fitness needing to be managed through a busy schedule. Joel Matip, the 32-year-old with a chequered history when it comes to the treatment table, is the only senior centre-back to make the matchday squad in all eight games for Liverpool so far.
The opening eight games of the campaign could have been the ideal opportunity, then, for a prodigious talent like Colwill to be integrated into the lineup, or Inácio to be introduced to the rigours of English football after breaking through in his native Portugal.
Instead, Liverpool have seen a new option emerge from within the squad, with academy defender Jarell Quansah looking to have saved the club millions.
Born in Warrington, less than an hour’s drive from Anfield, Quansah joined the youth ranks as a five-year-old, and has enjoyed a steady rise through the age groups since. During the club’s injury plagued campaign of 2020/21, he was excelling as captain of the under-18s, before stepping up to the under-21s the following season – which also brought his first taste of senior football.
A call-up to the matchday squad for a trip to Tottenham in the Premier League in December 2021 came out of necessity, with Van Dijk ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19 and Nat Phillips also sidelined through injury. Quansah, unsurprisingly, didn’t make it onto the pitch in that 2-2 draw in north London, but he had now arrived on Klopp’s radar.
Three days later, he was again unused in a League Cup clash with Leicester, while the following year he warmed the bench in a 0-0 draw with Derby in the same competition. Meanwhile, he was often – if not regularly – involved in first-team training at the AXA.
Only turning 20 in January, Quansah had to be patient as he saw the likes of Rhys Williams and Billy Koumetio given opportunities with the senior side before him, but his big break came in pre-season, as part of the warmup to 2023/24.
Handed a new long-term contract in May, the centre-back went on to feature in five friendlies across July and August, one of 16 ever-presents in clashes with Karlsruher SC, Greuther Furth, Leicester, Bayern Munich and Darmstadt 98. He acquitted himself well, and as injuries and suspensions began to kick in, Quansah was then called into the matchday squad for the season proper.
Substitute outings against Newcastle and Aston Villa were followed by a full debut away to Wolves in the Premier League, after which Klopp lauded his impact in a defence he felt otherwise played like they had “just met in the car park.”
“He did well, eh? He did really well, was really good. It’s a nice, wonderful experience for him,” the manager said. “He came on now always in very decisive moments. It’s not that he came on to close games or whatever, we had to do something there.
“Today he was good, I have to say. In such a disorganised team like we were in the first half, being the one who looks kind of alright is a statement, absolutely.”
That statement was followed up by another start 11 days later, in the 3-1 victory over Leicester in the League Cup. No player had more touches (104) or completed more passes (81) than Quansah, who only misplaced eight. His passing was expansive and inventive, including a raking ball from left centre-back out to Ben Doak on the right wing that had clear hallmarks of Van Dijk’s game.
There were vital blocks and challenges, too, not least to deny Kasey McAteer late on, with the score still at 2-1, weighing up the duel and lunging at the perfect moment to not only deny the Leicester winger on the edge of the six-yard box, but earn Liverpool a goal kick, too. That intervention was followed by a fist-pump from the youngster, his confidence brimming.
He even came away with an assist after his burst down the right flank saw him tee up Diogo Jota to clinch progress to the fourth round.
“I just prefer defending, but obviously if I can contribute with an assist or a goal every now and again, I’m always happy,” Quansah explained after the game. He later added: “Any chance I get, whether it’s this competition, Europa League, Premier League, FA Cup, I’m ready to step up and give what I can give to the team.”
The self-proclaimed “perfectionist” is clearly convinced of his own ability, and so should Klopp – who, contrary to popular opinion, may have long been assured that Liverpool’s next centre-back ‘signing’ was already at the club.
(Images from IMAGO)
To keep up to date with everything Liverpool, make sure you click follow on the team profile in the FotMob app. Download the free app here.