19 Jun 2016

'The Battleship' to Anfield? Liverpool want 'outstanding' £25m powerhouse who's 'incredibly difficult' to play against

With uncertainty still brewing over the futures of Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel, Liverpool remain in the hunt for yet another central defender, and unsurprisingly, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is looking to the Bundesliga for potential recruits.

According to German newspaper Sportbild this week, the Reds are monitoring Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, who was linked with a move to Anfield back in 2014.

Some info about £25m-rated Tah:

* 20-year old centre-half, who can also play at right-back. Current contract expires: 2020. 45 games for Leverkusen last season.

* Nicknamed 'The Battleship' on account of his strong physique and towering height (6'4).

* Jun 2016: Called up to Germany's Euro 2016 squad to replace injured defender Antonio Rudiger.

* Jun 2016: On his football role influences: "Jerome Boateng is one of the best defenders in the world and a great guy. He's a true role model".

* May 2016: Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt's assessment: “The consistency he [Tah] has shown throughout this season, playing at a high level, is outstanding.”

* May 2016: Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling raved: “He [Tah] has a body like a bull. It is incredibly difficult to play against him.”

If Klopp is anticipating the loss of both Sakho and Skrtel, then another centre-half is obviously a necessity. However, Tah is an everpresent for Leverkusen, and I doubt he'll want to spend most of the season sitting on the bench at Anfield.

Additionally, the very best German international centre-backs tend to stay in the Bundesliga (Boateng, Hummels, Howedes etc), and with Bayern Munich also in the race for Tah, he'll probably (and inevitably) end up at the Allianz Arena.



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