Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to reveal they’d like to see Wolves captain Conor Coady return to Anfield in January, following an injury to Virgil van Dijk.
The England international rose through the youth ranks at Liverpool, starting his footballing experience on Merseyside in 2005 before joining Huddersfield in 2014.
Coady took a step down into the Championship with the Terriers after signing in a deal worth £500,000, and has worked his way back to the top in impressive fashion.
Having joined Huddersfield as a central midfielder, the 27-year-old is now arguably amongst the best centre-backs in the Premier League at Wolves.
It was Kenny Jackett who brought Coady to Molineux in a deal worth £2 million, and under Nuno Espirito Santo’s guidance, he has taken his game to new heights in a different position.
His rise has been so astronomical that Gareth Southgate has even began to include the ex-Sheffield United loanee in his England XI.
Coady has three caps to his name, and scored in a recent win over Belgium with a well-taken half volley.
He also finished that game wearing the captain’s armband, proving that not only Nuno thinks he’s a leader.
While it would be romantic to bring Coady back to Anfield, there is also an element of necessity about the potential deal.
It has been well documented that Van Dijk’s anterior cruciate ligament injury is a serious one.
The Netherlands international will need to undergo surgery to fix the knee issue, and while Liverpool are reluctant to put a timescale on his return, the ex-Celtic man could potentially miss the remainder of the campaign.
That would come as a big blow regardless of squad depth for Jurgen Klopp, seeing as the centre-back is the reigning UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.
However, the fact that the former Borussia Dortmund coach only has Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as his senior centre-back options means a replacement is definitely needed.
Fabinho can also play at centre-back, while young Rhys Williams performed impressively in the Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal a few weeks ago.
Having said that, these four aren’t enough to compensate for the loss of a player who is arguably the world’s best in his position.
Additionally, if Klopp wants to compete on all fronts and challenge for the Premier League title, the Champions League and the FA Cup, then he will presumably need more bodies at the back.
Coady would be a fantastic addition to the Liverpool squad, although it seems like it would be a difficult transfer to do.
He is highly-rated at Molineux and The Daily Mail believe he is set to be handed a new deal to represent his importance to the side, where his £50k-a-week wages will increase too.
To prise a club’s captain away from them midway through the season will presumably be a tough ask, but if Coady is to be swayed by a move anywhere, we feel that a return to Anfield would be tempting for him.
Let’s see what the Liverpool fans on Twitter have been saying about the academy graduate…
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