5 defenders Liverpool could have signed for less than £75 million

There is this meme on the internet with the face of Jonathan Goldsmith sitting with a bottle of alcohol. The text on the meme reads ‘I don’t always…’ and the rest is added by the meme-maker. So when Liverpool signed Virgil van Dijk for £75 million, this meme idea came in my head.

‘I don’t always sign players, but when I do I overspend on decent players.’

This is the story of Liverpool. There is no doubt that van Dijk is a great defender, but signing him for £75 million with the kind of defenders available in the football fraternity raises more than just one eyebrow.

Not only does this further inflate the prices of players in the market, but it also puts pressure on the Dutchman to perform even without playing a single game.

And here I am bringing to you 5 cheaper alternatives that Liverpool could have signed for less than £75m…

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#5 Kurt Zouma

Zouma has been a rock at Stoke

It is difficult to see Chelsea selling him, but when someone puts in an offer in excess of £50 million for a defender deemed not good enough for the playing XI just yet, it is hard to resist it. Zouma might now have a future at Chelsea thanks to the severely erratic nature of David Luiz and the continuous decline of captain Gary Cahill, but back in the summer, he was very much buyable.

People might have dubbed him as a Chelsea reject if Liverpool signed him, but his performances this season have given us further proof that he is on his way to becoming the defender that almost everyone expected him to be.

The Frenchman has become an indispensable member of Stoke City, starting 18 league games for them. His ability as a covering defender makes him an asset that would help any team in the world. And his price would have been much less than what Liverpool paid for the Dutchman.

#4 Medhi Benatia

Benatia has revived his career at Juve

When he was in the Serie A with Roma, he was regarded as one of the best in the world. He then went to Bayern and couldn’t deliver at the level that was expected of him—and it was not entirely his fault. After all, Pep Guardiola played him in a role that was unusual to him.

And so he found an escape route to Juventus, where he seems to have revived his career. He has been one of the most consistent players for the Italian giants with his seemingly unparalleled understanding of the game.

The Old Lady outright bought him earlier in the summer for a mere £14.7 million. And going by the way he has played this season so far, it could be said that the Turin outfit made one of the best signings this season. The fact that a defender of his calibre costs less than four times the Dutchman speaks volumes about how much the prices are inflated for Premier League players.

#3 Mats Hummels

Hummels is a revered figure in the football fraternity

If a list of the most revered defenders is made, then Mats Hummels would be a definite name on it. The former Borussia Dortmund star stamped his authority as one of the best defenders in the world with Dortmund and has kicked on in the same vein at Bayern.

The German moved to Bayern Munich in 2016 and has been a starter for them ever since. Hummels is not only a great defender but is also an excellent passer of the ball and also possesses a good attacking know-how which can surprise opposing teams.

He would have been expensive, no doubt, but his price would certainly have been around the mark paid for Virgil van Dijk. Same amount of money for a better all-round football player—seems about all right, no?

#2 Kalidou Koulibaly

Koulibaly is a consistent figure in the Serie A

It is always difficult for a club like Napoli to keep hold of their best players. After all, despite all the flamboyance and hipster quality that they produce on a football pitch, they can’t guarantee a player what they covet the most: trophies.

And one such player in Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese defender is almost always linked with a move away from the club—with Chelsea being one of the prominent destinations for the Napoli man—but the moves never materialized.

However, we all know that every Napoli player is there for sale for the right price—and something around £50 million would have been enough to price the powerful defender away from Naples. With him on board, almost all of Liverpool’s worry in defence would have dissolved—and that, too, for a price less than that of Virgil van Dijk's.

#1 Marquinhos

PSG's best defender

This might be a very controversial addition. After all, he is the best defender at Paris-Saint Germain and replacing him will be a really tough task. However, once you realize that PSG actually need money to balance out their FFP, Marquinhos suddenly becomes gettable.

At least for a fee in the range of Virgil van Dijk, he was.

The Brazilian is an exceptional talent who has the ability to see things before they happen—almost wizard-like. He might not be the tallest of defenders, but his aerial presence is still very strong. In him, Liverpool could have gotten a younger player with a higher upward ceiling.

Right now, after the transfer fee of the Dutchman has been known to the world, signing the likes of Marquinhos for anything below £100 million seems like something next to impossible.