Liverpool await two emotional Premier League fixtures to close the door on Jurgen Klopp's heroic Anfield tenure but even the most optimistic of supporters will have accepted that the three-horse title race is no more.
It's been nine years of peaks and valleys; the good, the bad, and the ugly all wrapped into one rollercoaster journey that has welcomed silverware of the shiniest standard, memories of a lifetime, certain to be recalled with perfect clarity many years from now.
Feyenoord's Arne Slot has been all but announced as Liverpool's new head coach, and while he has big boots to fill, there is every hope that the Reds will continue to thrive as one of Europe's elite.
FSG's CEO of Football and Liverpool's new sporting director Richard Hughes have plans to sign several exciting upgrades this summer, with central defence to be addressed with haste.
Liverpool's summer transfer plans
Talk of Darwin Nunez's future on Merseyside has dominated the recent transfer chatter at Liverpool, with Barcelona interested in the Uruguayan – who has incited rumours by deleting recent Liverpool-related imagery across social media accounts.
But for all Liverpool's wastefulness, the problems stretch beyond the attack, with Liverpool's soft belly exposed far too often this season. Slot needs rearguard reinforcements.
And that's why reliable reports from Germany suggest that the Reds are interested in signing Willian Pacho from Frankfurt, who is valued at about €60m (£51m).
Frankfurt are actually keen to mark contact with the Premier League giants and this could mark a golden chance for Slot to land a highly-coveted new defender to kickstart his project.
Willian Pacho's season in numbers
Pacho, who is 22 years old, has enjoyed an excellent first season in Germany after transferring from Belgian club Royal Antwerp for about £13m, playing a big part in his side's comparatively successful season, well placed to finish sixth and secure a place in next term's Europa League.
As per Sofascore, the left-footed Pacho has completed 31 Bundesliga matches for Die Adler, keeping seven clean sheets, providing two assists, completing 85% of his passes, averaging 1.9 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 4.4 clearances and 6.7 ball recoveries per game.
This is a compelling assortment of qualities that have been blended together to make for the trappings of a leading defensive figure on the European scene – with Pacho already said to have a "big future ahead" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Moreover, the 6 foot 1 titan ranks among the top 6% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 18% for passes attempted, the top 22% for progressive passes, successful take-ons and tackles, the top 20% for clearances and the top 16% for blocks, as per FBref.
His ball-playing quality and elite athleticism make for the perfect tools, and it's no wonder that Liverpool have started to shift the gears ahead of the summer.
Why Liverpool should sign Willian Pacho
Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmoller said that Pacho's defending "is absolutely world-class" earlier this season, with the Ecuador international actually winning 60% of his ground duels in the German first division.
Of course, he has some distance to go before he reaches a level even close to Virgil van Dijk, who has been an imperious leader for Klopp's Liverpool this season, winning 77% of his duels in the Premier League.
Joel Matip ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Fulham back in December and will not feature again this season. The 32-year-old veteran is also out of contract this summer and it might be better to put sentiment to one side and allow Matip to depart.
That, however, leaves just injury-prone and error-prone Ibrahima Konate and unrefined talent Jarell Quansah as Van Dijk's partners in the centre of defence.
All three are high-quality players but Konate cannot burden the weight alone and Quansah's exciting rise could be sent in a spin if too heavy a weight is dumped on his shoulders.
And while he would offer depth and cover to such stars, Pacho's ability is actually as such that he could find himself cementing a place as Van Dijk's successor in the Liverpool defence.
Van Dijk is approaching his 33rd birthday and is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. The Anfield captain may well sign a new deal but his fuel tank will not run forever and Edwards is right to have earmarked a player in Pacho who could be shaped over the coming years ahead of a future position as the leading man at centre-back.
It's hardly as if he hasn't proved himself against the best of the best either, actually triumphing magnificently against Harry Kane as his outfit thrashed Bayern Munich 5-1 earlier in the campaign, silencing the England captain, who has scored 44 goals and placed 12 assists from 45 matches since signing from Tottenham Hotspur for an initial £82m last summer.
Minutes played
90'
Touches
66
Accurate passes
33/43 (77%)
Long balls
4/9
Possession lost
11x
Tackles
6
Clearances
7
Ground duels won
7/10
As the table above highlights, Pacho was a tenacious and thorny presence, subduing any hapless Bayern hopes of stemming the flow from Frankfurt, winning 70% of his ground duels, making six tackles and seven clearances – all of which are far above the average expected from a defender.
Bayern were horrific on that wintry December day but this must not detract from a Herculean performance from the hosts, with Pacho the pick of the bunch in the defence as he squashed attacks and even maintained an air of positivity in possession, attempting nine long passes.
Minutes played
90'
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
25
Accurate passes
9/11 (82%)
Shots on target
1
Shots off target
2
Blocked shots
2
Big chances missed
2
Key passes
1
Ground duels won
2/5
Further examination from Kane's metrics, and collation between the respective tables, illuminates just how bleak a contest the Die Roten goal machine suffered that day, wasteful in front of goal, ineffective and insubstantial in the duel and restricted to just 25 touches, completing nine passes.
Well and truly marshalled. A glimpse at Pacho's quality and how he could perform in the Premier League for Liverpool.
It's funny that Liverpool boast such an elite clutch of defensive players but have been unable to muster fitting solidity and command in the lower third.
It's funny, but Liverpool aren't laughing. With Pacho welcomed to the fold, all could change for an outfit targetting an illustrious new era.
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ByAngus Sinclair May 7, 2024
