“Sign Him up!” – Liverpool Should Sign This ‘Solid’ Bayer Leverkusen Star | OneFootball

Liverpool-Linked Star Catches the Eye Despite 4-0 Defeat

Liverpool secured a huge 4-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen to send them to the top of the UEFA Champions League table, with four wins from four. It was a brilliant performance from Arne Slot’s side, who seems to be getting everything right in the dugout at the moment. winning 13 of his first 15 games in charge of the Reds, with just one defeat in that spell.

Leverkusen put in a solid performance to cancel out Liverpool in the first half, before the Anfield atmosphere and the quality of the Reds’ proved too much for Xabi Alonso’s side. However, there were a couple of players that caught my eye and both have previously been linked with a switch to Merseyside…

Piero Hincapie

The Ecuadrian defender was tasked with keeping Mohamed Salah quiet, and whilst he couldn’t silence the Egyptian King for the entire game, his ability and resilience was clear to see. In a three-at-the-back formation, with very little protection from Alejandro Grimaldo on that side, who kept drifting into the Leverkusen midfield, Hincapie put up a strong fight.

Photo: IMAGO

Hincapie won four out of six ground duels in the game, as well as completing four clearances, three blocks, two tackles and one interception. The 22-year-old also won both of his two aerial duels.

Now, in no way was this a sensational performance from the defender, but there were certainly promising signs in an incredibly tough test for the youngster. It’s definitely clear to see why Liverpool, along with the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona have been linked with a move for him in recent windows.

With the left-side of defence expected to be a primary target in upcoming transfer windows for the Reds, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hincapie was high up on Richard Hughes’ shortlist. If you’re looking for a solely defensive option on that left-side, then I’d be signing him up, especially with the recent struggles of Andy Robertson.

Photo: IMAGO

Exequiel Palacios

I was pleasantly surprised by the performance from Palacios, another player who has been linked with a move to Liverpool over recent years. Whenever you look at the Argentinian’s numbers, they always look really well-rounded and I can see why.

Photo: IMAGO

The 26-year-old was a crucial part of Leverkusen’s high-press in the first-half and was always looking to drive his side forward and to be honest, doing a lot of the work that I was expecting Florian Wirtz to be doing more of. However, it was his defensive work that was really impressive, again more so in the first-half.

Palacios won a huge nine ground duels and five tackles, as well as completing one block and one interception.

Rated at around £40million, it’s hard to see Liverpool making a move for the midfielder and in all honesty, I’m not entirely convinced he has the quality or the pace to perform for one of the big sides in the Premier League, but nevertheless I was quite impressed.