Liverpool Lead Race To Sign Brazilian Wonderkid Lucas Beraldo, But Who Is He?
Liverpool have been looking to sign a new defender for a number of months, and they may have moved a step closer to doing so. Piero Hincapie was a name linked to the club during the summer, and they look to be remaining in the market for a South American defender. The Reds have now reportedly moved into the lead in the race to sign Lucas Beraldo from Sao Paulo.
Beraldo is regarded highly by some inside Brazil. Many believe the 20-year-old is one of the best defenders in the country and can only get better as the years go by. Liverpool currently leads the race, but no official move as of yet has been made. It is similar to Liverpool’s situation with Fluminense midfielder Andre, but in the end, the Red’s have decided against moving for the signature of the midfielder. Fulham will reportedly complete his signing in the coming weeks, but there is still room for a hijack.
How Does Beraldo Compare To Liverpool’s Defenders?
Beraldo has averaged 5.57 progressive passes per 90 this season for Sao Paulo, which is more than Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip. Only Ibrahima Konate averages more with 6.54 per 90. The Brazilian also has more progressive carries per game than Van Dijk and Matip with 0.76, but less than Konate again who averages 1.54 per 90.
Again, Beraldo is averaging more passes into the final third per 90 than Van Dijk and Matip with 6.10 but less than Konate with 7.31. The Sao Paulo youngster can clearly pass a ball which is vital in a Jurgen Klopp system, but how good is he at defending?
Beraldo has a tackle percentage of 68.2% from 22 tackles this season. Konate has 40% from 5, Joel Matip has 66.7% from 9 and Virgil Van Dijk has 100% from 3. Incredibly impressive for the young Brazilian to attempt that many and still have more than Konate and Matip.
Impressive stats for a player who is only going to get better at 20 years of age. The argument will be that his stats may not translate over to the Premier League, but Liverpool is a club who have been renowned in the past for trusting in lesser-known players and turning them into superstars.
Liverpool has been looking for a left-sided defender for some time as we mentioned earlier, and Beraldo fits that mold. The other targets Liverpool have been after are Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie and Tottenham’s Micky Van de Ven. Jurgen Klopp’s men missed out on Van de Ven in the summer and the left-sided defender has gone on to do great things for Ange Postecoglou’s side this season so far. Hincapie remains a target but the links regarding his departure from Germany have gone quiet in recent weeks.
In the current side, Liverpool does not possess a defender who can play on the left side of defense. All the centre-back’s are right-footed, and with Andy Robertson not getting any younger the club has been looking at left-sided players for both center-back and left-back. Beraldo would represent a cheap enough deal for a player with a very high ceiling. It’s the type of move the club would have done under Micheal Edwards, and possibly a sign they are moving back towards that style of recruitment again.
The Brazilian defender has a good injury history thus far in his career at 20 years old, having only missed five games through injury due to a blow to the ankle so far. There is currently a market value of €6million on Beraldo, but it’s likely Liverpool will have to pay closer to the €20million mark if they are to attempt to sign the player.
Alternative Defenders Liverpool Could Look To:
Liverpool’s preference seems to be a left-sided left-footed defender, and there are still a number of those on the market that do that role to a high level. Piero Hincapie has been mentioned previously, but there are also players like Arthur Theate from Rennes who the Reds could look to try and sign when the window opens. Alessandro Bastoni is another high level defender Liverpool could look to, but it would be difficult to pry the Italian from Italy.
Jorge Cuena is another player rising to prominence for Villarreal in the Spanish League, with seven appearances this season for the first-team. A lot of choices for Liverpool to strengthen their side in either the January or Summer Transfer Window, and it will be intriguing to see who they eventually try and sign.
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