The 2022/23 season was easily the most downcast of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool tenure, with the years of illustrious success being halted by a fifth-placed Premier League finish, a result of a dramatic decline and an irreparable malfunction in the engine room.
This season, the Reds have been fantastic in the Premier League and such worries have been left in the past, but issues remain over the thinness of the squad in several areas, compounded by injuries to several key players.
Liverpool could avenge Bellingham howler with move for £113m-rated "alien"
Jurgen Klopp’s side could pull off a truly stunning signing in 2024.
ByAngus Sinclair Dec 30, 2023
First-placed and enjoying successful campaigns in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, Klopp will know that his side must utilise the January transfer window to bolster the squad and ensure that a rueful gaze is not cast back to the winter months with it all on the line at the business end.
In particular, the defence could do with some support, especially after Joel Matip ruptured his ACL earlier in December, with Sporting CP's Goncalo Inacio seemingly at the top of the shopping list.
Liverpool transfer news – Goncalo Inacio
As the January market approaches so too does news revealing the latest movements surrounding Inacio's signature, with the Portugal international attracting attention from some of Europe's foremost outfits, namely Arsenal and Real Madrid.
According to reports in Spain, as per the Mirror, Liverpool could advance long-standing interest in the Sporting star as Klopp seeks defensive cover, and with Inacio's left-footedness fitting the bill perfectly, this is understandable.
With a €60m (£52m) release clause woven into his contract with the Liga Portugal side, Inacio would not come cheap but could be the perfect option to strengthen Liverpool's ambitious squad and provide the dimension needed to lay hands on silverware before the end of the term.
Goncalo Inacio's style of play
After so much interest in his services throughout 2023, it was somewhat surprising that Inacio, aged 22, penned a new long-term contract with his homeland team back in August, raising his release clause and effectively ending Liverpool's chances of completing a move so late into the summer transfer window, with funds still required in midfield.
Having chalked up 145 appearances – scoring 14 goals – for the Lisbon side since graduating from the club's academy in 2020, Inacio has established himself as a defensive star of far more dynamic style than the lion's share of his positional peers.
An immense passer of the ball, creative and intelligent in his distribution and awareness of openings through the passages, the 6 foot 1 star has been hailed for his "complete" skill set by talent scout Jacek Kulig and is undoubtedly one of the hottest prospects in the rearguard for Europe's most ambitious outfits.
As per FBref, Inacio ranks among the top 7% of central defenders across divisions similar to the Liga Portugal over the past year for assists, the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 3% for progressive carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90.
Passing
Dribbling
Concentration
*Sourced via WhoScored
With such metrics highlighting his remarkable range of creative tools, always looking to spark life into offensive transitions and influence play from deep, Liverpool's intrigue is only made clearer.
While he will never be a player of raw defensive might to parallel someone such as Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, Inacio offers a singular style that could work tremendously in a sort of counterbalance at Anfield.
BBC Sport analyst Raj Chohan certainly thinks as much, having said: "Gonçalo Inácio is the perfect counter-weight to Konaté. Inacio-VVD-Konaté: Build-up conductor. Leader/aerial dominator/switches of play. Immense recovery speed & coverage of space."
Completing 88% of his passes in the Portuguese top-flight this term, it's easy to assume that the £29k-per-week star is just crisp in his passing, but given that he averages 5.4 ball recoveries per game and succeeds with 10% of his dribbles, there's no disputing that he is adept at surging forward, stretching the central lines, to open up a myriad of corridors from which offensive teammates could flourish.
With Inacio's left-sided preference allowing Van Dijk to shift onto his favoured side, a whole new level of fluidity could be achieved down the left channel, with Andrew Robertson perhaps benefitting greatly from the prospective transfer.
Imagine Goncalo Inacio & Andrew Robertson
Robertson has been one of the best players in the Premier League during Liverpool's rise under Klopp's leadership, having been astutely signed from Hully City for just £10m in 2017.
Having now amassed 275 appearances for the Reds, supplying 63 assists, the 29-year-old Scotland captain has been incredible and has charged the flank for many years, picking up silverware in abundance along the way.
This season, he has only played eight times, absent since October after injuring his shoulder on international duty, and while he still faces several more weeks on the sidelines, his return will be a galvanising bonus to the Anfield side's pursuit of prominence once again.
Player
Key passes
Trent Alexander-Arnold
2.8
Andy Robertson
2.6
Mohamed Salah
2.3
Dominik Szoboszlai
1.7
Kostas Tsimikas
1.5
*Sourced via Sofascore
As the table above portrays, Robertson's creativity is something that has been sorely missed; while Kostas Tsimikas has done an adequate job in filling in, he is now injured too and doesn't offer the same kind of balance and all-encompassing style that the first choice option does.
Indeed, the £100k-per-week ace has also completed 87% of his passes and averaged 7.1 ball recoveries per game in the Premier League this season, highlighting the energy and robustness that would meld with Inacio's game.
He also ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for passes attempted and the top 9% for progressive passes per 90, showcasing his inventive array of abilities further.
With Inacio putting such emphasis on the fluency and supplementation of his teammates, Robertson could find the perfect partner to place balls into open space down the left side, in turn allowing for regular support into the box for the likes of Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah and co.
While Inacio's price tag is somewhat lofty, there is every chance that he will bloom into one of the very best around, and securing his signature would be a deal to bring the best out of his skills and those around him.