Why Kalidou Koulibaly and Virgil van Dijk pairing would work at Liverpool

ByBen Snowball

Updated 23/06/2020 at 17:36 GMT+1

Italian football expert Simone Eterno says Kalidou Koulibaly would thrive in the Premier League and could even be the ideal defensive partner to Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool.

Speaking on the latest Game of Opinions podcast, Eterno said the Napoli defender’s skill-set would complement – not compete – with Van Dijk’s.

Liverpool have reportedly had a £58 million bid for the 29-year-old dismissed by Napoli, whose owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has previously said he would not accept less than €100m (£90m).

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When asked whether a Koulibaly-Van Dijk partnership could work, Eterno said: "In my opinion, yes. Because Van Dijk is the guy that controls the defence and Koulibaly, as we say in Italy, is the arm [the one who acts on the decisions]."

He added: "Koulibaly is the kind of defender who can change a team, especially in the Premier League. He could be absolutely perfect anywhere."

Listen to the latest Game of Opinions podcast now!

‘Why on earth not?’ – Koulibaly would make Liverpool unstoppable

Eterno continued that Koulibaly had a rare mix of qualities that would make him an asset for any club.

"It is difficult to find a defender who can defend intelligently, a centre-back that thinks and a centre-back that does," he said.

"Sometimes you have the mind or the body. Koulibaly brings the two things together which is not common in Europe."

Fellow podcast guest Pete Sharland said it makes sense for Koulibaly to join Liverpool given he had just one major trophy – this year’s Coppa Italia – to his name.

"Why wouldn’t he join Liverpool if the offer’s there? If they can pay what Napoli are asking for and they can pay his wages, why on earth would you not go and join the champions of England?" he said.

"He’s possibly one of the closest [defenders] to Virgil van Dijk in world football right now, he’s possibly at Van Dijk’s level and arguably in the top two or three centre-backs in the world.

"If Liverpool can somehow pull it off and pair these two together, I can’t see a way they’re going to be stopped any time soon."

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