Empire of the Kop
·18 January 2025
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Yahoo sportsEmpire of the Kop
·18 January 2025
Liverpool are beginning to run out of time to strengthen Arne Slot’s squad during the January transfer window, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Richard Hughes isn’t on the lookout for prospective recruits.
If there’s one position at Anfield which has been under the microscope of late, it’s the left-back berth, with the Reds boss again shuffling the pack there today as Kostas Tsimikas comes in for the off-colour Andy Robertson to start against Brentford this afternoon.
Earlier this week, Jamie Carragher called for his former club to bring in a left-sided defender, and a reliable reporter has hinted that the pleas from the 2005 Champions League winner might yet be heeded.
Late on Friday night, Paul Joyce shared a report for The Times in which he mentioned one name who’s on the radar at Liverpool.
The journalist wrote: ‘The sporting director, Richard Hughes, will already be assessing left back options, primarily as Andrew Robertson will soon turn 31, with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez among those being considered.’
(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
The Hungarian has been strongly linked with Liverpool in recent weeks, and reports this week suggested that Anfield would be the player’s preference over the two Manchester clubs due to the presence of Hughes, who oversaw the 21-year-old’s transfer to Bournemouth in July 2023.
The composition of the Premier League fixture calendar has given Kerkez a well-timed opportunity to audition for a potential move to the Reds, who he’ll come up against when the Cherries play host to Slot’s side in two weeks’ time.
Carragher has voiced his admiration for the youngster, who he described as a ‘revelation’ and ‘one to watch in the future’, and we’d venture to suggest that the Sky Sports pundit would love to have him in L4.
Kerkez helped himself to a goal in Bournemouth’s 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle today and enjoyed a fine performance overall at St James’ Park.
As per Sofascore, he won three of his five duels, completed 100% of his dribbles and made five defensive contributions, shackling Jacob Murphy to the extent that the Magpies winger was hauled off midway through the second half.
We wouldn’t hold our breath for Liverpool to bring the Cherries left-back to Anfield by the end of this transfer window if he’s still only at the stage of ‘being considered’, but a strong outing against the Reds on 1 February might yet jolt Hughes into action.