Key Points:
- Dietmar Hamann suggests Liverpool consider Harry Maguire on a free transfer for defensive depth.
- Maguire's contract with Manchester United is set to expire, making him a potential bargain.
- Liverpool's defence has been uncharacteristically leaky, conceding far more goals this season.
- Other targets like Nico Schlotterbeck (Dortmund) and Micky van de Ven (Spurs) are also on Hamann's radar.
Hamann's Theory
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has suggested that the Reds consider signing Harry Maguire to bolster their defence this summer. United have not yet opened discussions with the defender, who has impressed recently under interim manager Michael Carrick in matches against Manchester City and Arsenal. Hamann believes Liverpool could benefit from added depth at the back and has encouraged them to explore a potential free transfer for Maguire.
He said: "You’ve got to give it to Harry Maguire because he got so much stick in the last few years and he always comes back. If he’s available on a free then obviously have to think about it because I think what Liverpool need is more depth at the back.
"Joe Gomez has been around the squad for a long time but he’s never really been a starter for the team. Connor Bradley is out now through injury. We’ll have to see how it affects him when he comes back.
"I think Liverpool need depth in the right-back position too. Frimpong is not a right-back. I think he gets away with playing there sometimes but he’s not a right-back. I think they need a couple of players at the back."
More Expensive Targets
Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA Getty Images
Any deal for Maguire would likely wait until his Manchester United contract expires. Hamann also highlighted two other defensive options: Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck and Tottenham Hotspur’s Micky van de Ven.
He added: "Micky van de Ven is doing really well for Spurs and there’s a player at Dortmund, Nico Schlotterbeck. He’s in talks with the club on whether he’s going to extend his contract.
"Schlotterbeck has really taken on a leading role at Dortmund in the last 18 months. He is probably our best centre-back in the national team. He’ll certainly play at the World Cup for Germany.
"He'd be a player. He's got one year left on the contract. I'm sure that Liverpool inquired about him. He wouldn't be the worst choice. He's a left-footed player as well."
Liverpool's Defensive Struggles
Defensively, Liverpool have been vulnerable this season, conceding 32 goals in 21 Premier League games, already close to last season’s total of 41. The Reds are now chasing a top-four finish rather than a title, sitting sixth—two points behind Manchester United in fourth and 14 behind league leaders Arsenal.
Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has warned that Klopp’s job could be at risk if the team fails to qualify for the Champions League.
He said: "If you don't qualify for the Champions League, having won the league the season before and spent as much as Liverpool, I don't think you've got a leg to stand on.
"The real worry I have for Liverpool in terms of qualifying for the Champions League is the three big things that stand out in the Premier League now are set-pieces, counter-attacking football and coming up against low blocks.
"Liverpool can't cope with any of them. What we're seeing is a team in the Premier League that's not suited to the Premier League.
"Once you start seeing what Manchester United and Chelsea have done in the last couple of weeks, you start seeing that Liverpool could actually finish outside the Champions League positions. I really fear for them. Once you start fearing Champions League qualification for next season, that's when I think we've got a completely different proposition when we're talking about the manager's job. That, for me, is completely different.
"If we're talking about not winning the league or challenging for the league, that is a collective responsibility, and Liverpool don't win the league every year. Not making the Champions League from [being] champions, spending £450m and having the highest wage bill in the Premier League, which is normally the biggest determining factor over where you finish in the league, I think you've got serious questions to ask."*
