If the discourse around the summer transfer window dictated a team’s final league standing come May, Liverpool would have finished their first Premier League season under Arne Slot in a pretty concerning position.
Much of the flak fired at FSG on social media was justified – to a degree. Liverpool needed to reinforce their defence and sign a deep-lying midfielder and did neither. Having fallen short against Arsenal and Manchester City in the title race last year, this was questionable.
But Liverpool tried. They tried to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, only for the Spaniard to reject their advances. The Reds will not spend for the sake of spending; it would need to be the right player.
In defence, it could have been Goncalo Inacio, but he didn’t end up moving to Merseyside.
Arne Slot wanted to sign Goncalo Inacio
Liverpool have been keen on signing Inacio for some time now. In 2023, speculation was rife that Liverpool would make their move in what proved to be Jurgen Klopp’s final summer transfer window at the Anfield helm, but it didn’t materialise in the end, with the centre-back penning fresh terms in his homeland.
The 23-year-old has had quite the start to life on the senior stage, winning two Liga Portugal titles across the past four seasons despite the division being routinely dominated by Benfica and Porto, and he’s been praised for his “immense” technical quality by analyst Raj Chohan.
Liverpool might be biding their time considering the talent of the existing options in Slot’s rearguard, but Inacio has earned his stripes by this point, with 179 senior Sporting appearances and 12 Portugal caps to his name, and was there for the taking during the off-season.
It seems that the Sporting hierarchy was considering Inacio’s sale in August, with reports from the country claiming that they would consider offers totalling €45m (£38m), which is some distance below the £50m release clause that was part of his extended contract agreed just one year before.
Manchester United signed Matthijs De Ligt from Bayern Munich, but Liverpool will need to address their defensive dilemma at some point in the not-too-distant future and could have done so with Inacio – especially given the uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate during the summer months.
Konate had not finished the campaign under Klopp well at all, losing his place to Jarell Quansah in the Premier League and being chastised for his “dreadful” displays by The Athletic’s James Pearce.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.
Had Inacio been signed, Konate might not have enjoyed the regular minutes that he has been handed by Slot so far, perhaps negating what is proving to be a wonderful resurgence.
Why Liverpool kept faith with Ibrahima Konate
Given that Inacio is left-footed, Konate wouldn’t have jockeyed for a starting spot all the time. The Portugual international may instead have been viewed as the long-term successor for Virgil van Dijk’s position in the team – perhaps he still is.
But Quansah is a real talent and could be a regular member of the starting line-up in a few years, and Konate is not going to want to budge from his reclaimed spot in central defence any time soon, playing like a man possessed this season.
Of course, it was the Frenchman’s mistake that let Wolves back into the game last weekend, with a defensive miscommunication with Alisson Becker allowing the hosts to scoop the ball into space and fire into an empty net, but this loss of concentration shouldn’t detract from a blistering start to the era.
As you can see, he’s been a mountain for the Reds this term, and if he can keep fitness levels on his side, could be in for his finest campaign yet.
It’s worth noting that the role of a defender, first and foremost, is defending. Now this is hardly revelatory, but it does perhaps shine a light on why interest in Inacio was not followed with an official transfer offer.
This season, he has been a key figure in Ruben Amorim’s title defence, and indeed, has performed well, showcasing his high-level distribution by completing 93% of his passes, as per Sofascore, also averaging 4.7 ball recoveries and 87 touches per game, highlighting his athleticism and importance, very much in the thick of the action.
But hold on a minute, what about his success in the duel? How does that compare to Liverpool’s defensive options – take a look.
Goncalo Inacio
3.3
49%
Virgil van Dijk
4.2
63%
Ibrahima Konate
4.8
74%
Jarell Quansah (23/24)*
4.5
64%
As you can see, Inacio is considerably less effective in the duel. Jarell Quansah was hooked at half-time of Liverpool’s opener against Ipswich Town this season for failing to win enough duels for Slot, and given that he won four of eight contested (50%), this doesn’t bode well for Inacio, whose efforts across six fixtures have led him to a 49% success rate.
Moreover, Konate can do it all in regard to technique and progression. As per FBref, the France international ranks among the top 4% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 10% for progressive carries and the top 1% for aerial battles won per 90.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
He’s a dynamic and hulking centre-back, bearing a strong bond with Van Dijk and currently boasting the Premier League’s meanest defence, having conceded twice from six games.
Inacio might have his strengths, but Slot and Liverpool’s transfer team were wise not to oust their titan for a new part, just because.
Liverpool struck gold with £0 star who's now worth as much as Gravenberch
Liverpool £0 man is now worth as much as Gravenberch
ByConnor HoldenSep 29, 2024