Liverpool’s reported interest in Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio has been well-documented in recent months.
Of course, it’s difficult to say with any degree of certainty which long-term signing the Reds will make to bolster the left side of their backline.
Given the Portuguese international’s limited aerial prowess, however, we have some serious concerns over his ability to fill Virgil van Dijk’s boots in the long run.
Which is why recent links to the 22-year-old’s younger centre-back partner, Ousmane Diomande (20), are particularly intriguing.
Lewis Steele reported on Monday for the Daily Mail that the Ivorian is ‘also liked after some stellar performances for Ruben Amorim’s side’.
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LFC add Diomande of Sporting to longlist of CB targets
Women’s transfer newshttps://t.co/sweJtDr238— Lewis Steele (@LewisSteele_) January 8, 2024
We can see why given, firstly, a younger profile would surely be more attractive when putting forward an argument for a potential signing to wait patiently in our No.4’s lofty shadow.
A key point of intrigue as far as the Dutch international is concerned, however, is Diomande’s comparatively superior aerial numbers to his Sporting teammate.
FBref have the 6’3″ centre-half down as being aerially inferior to Inacio (6’1″) on an initial look – the former ranking in the 21st percentile for aerials won compared to the latter’s 29th percentile – but a deeper dive into the numbers suggests otherwise.
Ousmane Diomande? Now we're talking. A centre-back with an aerial duel success rate of 72% pic.twitter.com/t6cGCL4piN
— Sam McGuire (@SamMcGuire90) January 8, 2024
Sam McGuire is, indeed, on the money. FBref have Diomande down as having won 71.8% of his aerial duels in 2023/24 – more than double Goncalo Inacio’s 37% this term and higher than his best season (61.6% in 2020/21).
It’s a serious improvement on his own numbers last term (43.3%) too, not to mention being generally quite impressive for a defender who was still a teenager at the start of the current campaign.
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It wouldn’t be the first time Liverpool have apparently given the impression of focusing on one particular player at a club before happily snapping up a different name in the same position.
The footballing world raised a collective brow at our recruitment team’s decision to pursue Ibrahima Konate over Dayot Upamecano, despite most reports at the time heavily suggesting the latter was our top target.
One Frenchman went to Merseyside and the other was quickly snapped up by Bayern Munich.
In that vein of thought, it’s entirely possible those closely following our line of sight in Portugal have misidentified our potentially ideal centre-back target.
Of course, it’s worth pointing out that it won’t be any easier to land Ousmane Diomande either this January or in the summer with a release clause running up at just under £70m – roughly £18m more than Inacio’s.
That said, if the long-term goal is to find someone capable of filling Virgil van Dijk’s boots, you could argue that £70m is a cheap price to pay.
The post Why a Liverpool transfer for Ousmane Diomande would hold shades of Konate move – opinion appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
