Hyypia: Club must act fast after defender move raises depth concerns | OneFootball

Hyypia Shares Thoughts on Liverpool’s Quansah Gamble

Hyypia weighs in as Liverpool roll dice on defensive depth

There is a long-standing tradition in football of letting players go too soon. The regret of seeing someone flourish elsewhere is a particularly sharp ache. For Liverpool, the decision to sell Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £30 million, plus £5 million in add-ons, may soon test that familiar pain.

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Sami Hyypia, who knows a thing or two about commanding Liverpool’s backline with grace and grit, has adopted a measured view. “I think it is good for Jarell to play every week [in Germany]. He is in that age where he needs to play every week and probably if he stayed here that wouldn’t be possible.”

Quansah’s move, completed almost a month ago, came with a pre-agreed buyback clause. A clause that now sits in Liverpool’s vault like a receipt from a hurriedly returned item, quietly hoping the price does not go up.

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Centre-back questions mount as pre-season unfolds

Arne Slot’s summer in Asia brought more than tactical tweaks and travel weariness. Joe Gomez’s injury on tour has reduced Liverpool’s centre-back pool to three senior names, not one of them immune to knocks or scrutiny. The silence around replacements has been deafening.

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“If one year he plays there every week, then maybe we can bring him back,” Hyypia observed. “It would be a good thing to bring him back and he would be a different player.”

This is the central dilemma. Liverpool may believe in Quansah’s potential but not in his readiness. Yet, by letting him go before reinforcements arrive, the club are gambling that short-term gaps will not expose long-term weaknesses.

Hyypia, tactful but direct, captured the underlying tension. “I guess this summer we still need one centre-back added, so it will be interesting to see. It is probably [a risk not to sign another central defender].”

Timing and transfers in a post-Quansah landscape

Liverpool have long operated under a strategy praised for its planning and precision. But selling Quansah before finalising any defensive additions looks increasingly haphazard. Whether this was driven by opportunity or obligation remains up for debate.

The £35 million figure looks healthy on paper, especially for a player who was not a regular starter.

Hyypia’s thoughts strike a chord with many Liverpool fans. Young players need rhythm, not reactive minutes. “When you play every week, you somehow create like a bigger confidence… for younger players that can be a little bit overwhelming and you are trying too hard and you are maybe a little bit too nervous in that situation.”

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Still, the reality of today’s transfer market means that value can quickly morph into regret. Particularly if the homegrown quota, already under pressure, takes another hit. Quansah’s departure follows those of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Caoimhin Kelleher earlier in the window, leaving Liverpool scrambling for balance across squad registration requirements.

Buyback clauses and the comfort of hindsight

There is something curiously modern about celebrating a buyback clause. A digital undo button in a world without guarantees. Yet Hyypia’s thoughts are both pragmatic and forward-looking.

“I heard that we have a buyback clause… when he is playing every week and he develops, I think we can [bring him back].” That clause might be the only thing softening the disquiet for now.

Liverpool, historically reluctant to make transfer decisions lightly, would have calculated the risks. If Quansah pushed for the move, the club may have felt a moral obligation to oblige. But when every squad place carries such weight, that morality comes with consequences.

The footballing world will keep a close eye on how Quansah fares in Leverkusen. Should he become the composed, authoritative centre-back many believe he can be, Liverpool’s decision to insert a return path may feel like inspired foresight. If not, they will be criticised for a sale that weakened them at a vulnerable time.

In either scenario, Quansah’s story with Liverpool is not over. It is simply paused. Whether his next chapter is written in Merseyside ink or just footnoted in future regrets remains to be seen.