Summary Liverpool's start to the 2023/24 Premier League season is promising, but Jurgen Klopp will seek to sustain the intensity and cohesion that was lacking last season, especially in defence. The Reds are interested in signing young defender Goncalo Inacio to improve the backline and benefit from his distinctive playing style and creativity. The stats suggest he could offer something different to Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with Liverpool's start to the 2023/24 Premier League season, but he will know that there is plenty of work still to be done to ensure that a satisfying conclusion is reached.

Having picked up 20 points from their opening nine league matches, the Reds are looking to keep on the tail of table-toppers Tottenham Hotspur, who have a six-point advantage having played an additional match ahead of Liverpool's upcoming clash with Nottingham Forest.

But at this stage of the campaign, such frivolous matters are yet to truly reach Klopp's concern, who will ensure his team are focussed only on the forthcoming fixture.

The central point at this stage is sustaining the renewed intensity and cohesion that had disappeared last term, when Liverpool trudged to a fifth-placed finish and received a season-long rebuke from journalists and critics for their substandard performances.

The midfield has been restored after an emphatic summer of transfer activity, but such occurred at the expense of defensive reinforcements, despite much discourse surrounding the need for bolstering at the back.

With that being said, 2024 looks to be a year of further action in the market for the Anfield side, with several targets earmarked to strengthen the rearguard.

Liverpool's transfer targets

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool and heated rivals Manchester United have both registered an interest in French side Lille's 17-year-old defender Leny Yoro, with the precocious centre-back considered one of the finest talents in Ligue 1 right now.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are also intrigued, while Chelsea have held a long-time admiration for the France native, but Liverpool's emergence as a suitor highlights Klopp's desire to improve the backline with a prodigious addition.

The competition is thick, however, but given that Liverpool are pursuing the signature of another rising star in Sporting Lisbon's Goncalo Inacio, perhaps priority could be shifted to the touted talent.

As per BILD, Liverpool have received a major boost in their pursuit following Manchester United's alleged withdrawal from the race, citing difficulties in meeting his £52m release clause.

Why Liverpool are interested in Goncalo Inacio

Inacio is a very distinctive defender with attributes that make him a custom-made fit for outfits chasing illustrious success, with analyst Raj Chohan stating: "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."

Player

Club

Piero Hincapie

Bayer Leverkusen

Jonathan Tah

Bayer Leverkusen

Harry Maguire

Manchester United

Chancel Mbemba

Marseille

Davinson Sanchez

Galatasaray

The four-cap Portugal star has made 134 appearances for his homeland outfit, posting 11 goals and eight assists, and has attracted attention from multiple European giants since rising to the fore, with Newcastle United also withdrawing from the race recently.

A left-footed and dynamic centre-back, Inacio, aged 22, fits the bill; Klopp is searching for such a defender to improve the defence and ease the burden on captain Virgil van Dijk, who is right-footed but has long occupied the left side of the central defence in the absence of a natural alternative.

having been described as a "complete" player by knowledgable talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past, it's no wonder that the Reds are hoping to land the star, who could be the missing piece of the puzzle to restore the club's stature at the forefront.

An "immense" distributor

With positive similarities to some of Europe's finest ball-playing defenders, Inacio has the world at his feet and could bloom into one of the game's finest in his position over the coming years, with Fabrizio Romano even going as far as to hail his "very rare" qualities.

Indeed, as per FBref, the 6 foot 1 titan ranks among the top 2% of centre-backs across leagues similar to the Portuguese Primeira Liga for assists, the top 3% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 2% for progressive carries and the top 14% for successful take-ons per 90.

He is one of the most mobile and creative defenders in the game, and with his left-footed inclination aligning with the kind of centre-half Klopp covets to complete his team, it really could be a match made in heaven.

His ball-playing ability is so significant that he even eclipses Trent Alexander-Arnold across several metrics, with the progression of his passing quite simply belying the conventions of the role in the central defence.

Metric (per 90)

Inacio

TAA

Assists

0.11

0.35

Shot-creating actions

1.90

3.73

Passes attempted

86.70

86.13

Progressive passes

8.91

6.69

Progressive carries

2.05

1.46

Statistics sourced via FBref

The £180k-per-week Liverpool vice-captain has been a prominent figure in European football since breaking into Klopp's first-team as a youngster, and having supplied 74 assists from 282 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, he truly is a "genius" – as was claimed by journalist Neil Jones.

Given his free-roaming placement on the right flank of the pitch, one would assume that Alexander-Arnold would have a license to produce a greater output than a player of Inacio's ilk, but he really is shadowed in some regards by the power of Inacio's creativity.

Despite this, the 25-year-old still ranks among the top 2% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues for assists, the top 4% for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for progressive passes per 90, emphasising his skill and importance within Klopp's side.

Inacio doesn't create direct chances in the final third with the regularity of Alexander-Arnold, but this is due to his position rather than a failure to pick the apt passes.

Signing the maestro at the back would only be a recipe for success at Anfield, creating a gushing flow of support to cascade down the lanes and into the danger areas, allowing the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister (and Alexander-Arnold), to feed the deadly frontline.

Just imagine the duality of supplementation that could be unlocked across the alternating channels by securing Inacio's signature, with the Sporting sensation exactly what Liverpool needs to continue the budding renaissance and cement a spot at the very top of the European game once again.