Generational star confirms he’s now ready to join Liverpool

There’s an exciting centre-back who is ready to join Liverpool.

When Richard Hughes failed to secure Marc Guehi during the summer transfer window, there was an uneasy sense that the decision might come back to haunt the club.

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That concern has now become reality.

The serious injury to Giovanni Leoni has left Liverpool’s defensive depth in a fragile state. Passing up another opportunity to sign Guehi in January – only to see him join Manchester City – has made the earlier failure feel even more costly.

There has been some forward planning, with the arrival of Jeremy Jacquet, but he and Leoni cannot be the only ‘new’ centre-bacjs at Anfield next season.

The truth is, relying on Jacquet and the injured Leoni is simply not enough. With Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate both struggling with fitness concerns and facing uncertain futures, reinforcements are essential.

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Liverpool also cannot afford to depend too heavily on inexperienced options like Mor Talla Ndiaye or Ifeanyi Ndukwe. If they are to restore stability at the back, further additions are not just necessary – they are urgent.

Let us introduce you to Liverpool’s perfect solution to this problem – Dylan Lawlor.

He’s kind of a cross over between Joel Matip and Adam Wharton but in centre-back form. Liverpool’s scouts have been credited with interest in the young Cardiff City centre-back, and he could be the perfect extra depth the Reds need – especially considering he likely won’t cost too much money.

Lawlor caught the eye for Cardiff against Doncaster last month with a brilliant solo-goal that made him look like he was prime Matip on turbo power.

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The 20-year-old Welsh centre-back started just outside his own penalty area when he received the ball and decided to go on a rampage.

Lawlor turned into prime Diego Maradona as he waltzed through the League One side’s defence and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.

It was yet another sensational moment in Lawlor’s rapidly ascending career. He’s established himself as one of the best young centre-backs in the EFL and has also become a regular at international level for Wales.

Now he confirmed he was ready to join a club like Liverpool in his most recent outing for Wales. In just his fourth international cap, Lawlor came into the Wales team against Bosnia in a crucial World Cup qualifier and he absolutely shone.

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Lawlor won six out of his nine duels, including three out of four ground duels and three out of five aerial duels. He also made four clearances and four recoveries and really stood up to the physical test that Bosnia’s strong and experienced forwards imposed on him.

That was a sign of Lawlor being ready to step into a more physical environment like the Premier League.

On top of all of this, he also completed 96 passes and made 10 passes into the final third.

Lawlor’s ability on the ball is what makes him stand-out. He is a very technical and forward thinking player who loves to break lines and also carry the ball – similarly to Wharton.

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He is incredible comfortable under pressure and while he doesn’t have the long gait that Matip had, he has the same ability as the Cameroonian to waltz through opposition lines.

Defenders often fall into one category. On the ball they are either carriers or passers. Matip was both and so is Lawlor.

That ability to break lines through carrying, rather than just passing alone, makes Lawlor’s style feel very reminiscent of Matip at his best.

Now he’s producing top defensive performances against strong and top class attackers like Edin Dzeko. With his performance on Thursday, Lawlor confirmed he is ready to join a club like Liverpool.