Liverpool’s victory away to Spurs in midweek was a pretty bittersweet occasion.
Yes, the Reds picked up their first Premier League win since before Christmas to keep alive their hopes of defending their title.
But in the process, Jurgen Klopp lost Joel Matip……again.
The Cameroon international is literally injured every other week for Liverpool these days and ankle ligament damage on this occasion suggests that he could be out for up to a month.
With Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez out for the long term, and Fabinho, the midfielder who’s been their best defender this season, also sidelined, Jurgen Klopp absolutely needs a centre-back.
And according to The Athletic, one potential target could be West Ham United’s Issa Diop.
The big Frenchman, who stands at 6’4, is out of favour under David Moyes this season after managing only 297 minutes in the Premier League since August.
But there’s a lot of talent there – just ask Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho’s Manchester United lost to West Ham back in September of 2018 and, speaking to the club’s official website afterwards, the Portuguese coach congratulated the Hammers on finding such a good defender, describing him as a monster.
He said: “Their centre-backs had a fantastic match. Congratulations to the scout that found the 21-year-old kid, Diop – a monster who dominated everything in the duels.”
It’s fair to say that Mourinho knows a thing or two about central defenders, with the likes of John Terry and Raphael Varane crediting him with improving them as players.
Of course, Mourinho’s comments from two-and-a-half years ago won’t be enough to make Liverpool pick up the phone to West Ham immediately.
But such is the state of the situation, Diop could join the Anfield club tomorrow and immediately become their best fit centre-back and that fact alone is why Klopp and Michael Edwards should certainly pursue this.
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