Liverpool is being linked with a star who was shortlisted in the Michael Edwards era. The transfer would still make sense now to upgrade an Andy Robertson plan.
Liverpool’s latest midfield rebuild is already looking to have been more successful than many assumed it would have been when 2022/23 drew to a close. Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch look like future superstars — if they are not there already — while Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endō have shown promise in bursts if not yet consistently.
Despite this excellent business, many supporters felt the Reds needed to do more last summer, with reinforcements for the backline also deemed a necessity. The emergence of Jarell Quansah and Liverpool’s largely good defending this season may have quelled those needs a little, but the defense remains the area of the squad likely to be next addressed in the transfer market.
When it comes to rumors, some circulate for years before coming to fruition, while many linger and never get completed. Liverpool is being linked with a young defender who it was reportedly interested in signing at least three years ago. It may even offer a chance to correct a deal some fans might consider a mistake.
The player in question is Lloyd Kelly, who was recently the top headline on the BBC’s daily transfer gossip round up. “Bournemouth will turn down any approaches for defender Lloyd Kelly in January, with Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle and AC Milan all keen on the 25-year-old Englishman,” was the summary provided of a story from TeamTalk.
With the Cherries deep in the relegation battle, it’s understandable that they wish to retain a player who has started six of their last eight league matches and captained them twice this season. However, with Kelly out of contract next summer, the forthcoming transfer window represents Bournemouth’s final opportunity to command any kind of fee for the 25-year-old.
As he currently earns a relatively modest $37k (£30k/€34.6k) a week, the financial aspect of the deal would not deter the Reds, free transfer or not. Kelly would also appeal in several other ways, before we get to his qualities as a player; he would help with homegrown quota requirements, can play at left-back or as a left-sided center-back and is 191cm tall.
The latter may not seem that important but height is a big deal in English football, even if the Premier League is not as aerially brutal as it once was. Kelly is among the tallest full-backs in the division — it’s mostly converted center-backs like Dan Burn who tower over him — and he would be the loftiest at Liverpool if he were to sign for the club.
That move might have occurred in 2020, if not before, with interest dating back to Michael Edwards’ time at the club. A Liverpool.com article from June of that year noted Kelly “signed for the Cherries last summer [2019] for just £13.3m [$16.5m/€15.2m] from Bristol City after Liverpool were interested in his services.”
The idea at the heart of the piece was that he might have been a decent target for the Reds had Bournemouth been relegated at the end of the campaign, as indeed it was. But rather than move for Kelly, Liverpool and Edwards opted to purchase Kostas Tsimikas in that transfer window instead.
The Greek recently signed a contract extension so is unlikely to move on any time soon. His time with the Reds has been a curious mix of highs and lows though. He went from committing an Opta-defined defensive error which allowed Toulouse to take a lead it wouldn’t surrender last week to providing two assists in the following match.
Kelly might not have shown the same potential for creating goals but he has only made two errors in his 50 Premier League appearances. The fact he was the Championship’s second-top player for progressive carrying distance two seasons ago shows he is comfortable dribbling to the attacking end of the field at least, and perhaps a steadier back up for Andy Robertson is what Liverpool needs.
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