Who is Ibrahima Konate? Liverpool's next top centre-back talent

 

When every elite team was focussing their efforts on signing Dayot Upamecano, Liverpool were courting another young French RB Leipzig centre-back. Ibrahima Konate has today emerged as a top summer target for the Reds as they look to strengthen their defence further. Not content with the January captures of Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak, the defending Premier League champions are aiming to get a deal done that would see Konate move to Anfield for his €40m release clause, as per the Athletic's David Ornstein. 

 

After it was confirmed that Bayern Munich had, predictably, won the race to land Upamecano, teams turned their attentions elsewhere in their efforts to add another defender this summer. Many of Europe's elite hotfooted it to Munich in attempts to lure the out-of-contract David Alaba away from the Allianz Arena, but Liverpool have elected to remain in Leipzig to strike a deal with the Bundesliga title contenders. 

 

Konate's injury issues have restricted him to just 10 league starts since the start of 2019/20, during which compatriot Upamecano has risen the fore and become the poster boy of RB Leipzig's defence, but to some, the latter isn't even the most talented French centre-back on their books. 

 

As such, Liverpool appear to have had a free run at the France Under-21 international, who, alongside Jules Kounde, helped Les Bleuets to a 2-0 win over Russia on Sunday night. Konate is the younger of the two French centre-backs at RB Leipzig and the more affordable option, albeit by €2.5m, in part due to a lack of game time as Julian Nagelsmann settled on a backline that impressed in the 21-year-old's absence. 

 

After the January swoop for Kabak, the pursuit of Konate fits in with Liverpool's push to sign aerially dominant young defenders from the Bundesliga. Of course, Kabak was a long-standing target for Jurgen Klopp, who has previously talked up his admiration for the Turkey international, yet the Reds boss is evidently wary at seeing his side bested in the air by direct opponents. 

 

Only Manchester City (13.2) are winning fewer aerial duels per game than Liverpool (13.7) in the Premier League this season. This can be explained by their styles of play, which favours a possession-based approach and a willingness to keep the ball on the deck more often than not. However, Liverpool's aerial success rate of 46.8% is the third worst in England's top tier this term, explaining a weakness of 'aerial duels'. 

 

The absence of Virgil van Dijk has impaired the Reds at the back and opponents have maximised this lack of aerial dominance, playing its part in Liverpool's disastrous title defence. The capture of Kabak has eased this concern, but it's an area that will improve further with the arrival of Konate. Indeed, of the 267 players to contest 20 or more headed battles in the Bundesliga this season, Konate's aerial success rate of 85.7% is the best in the league. 

 

 

At his age and relative inexperience, there are weaknesses to Konate's game that Klopp will need to iron out in order to make the defender a worthwhile purchase. Konate's pass success rate of 83.5% from 57.8 passes per 90 in the Bundesliga this season is low for an RB Leipzig side that looks to dominate possession, with the former figure a drop on his 2019/20 return (88.6%). Yet both figures are a huge rise on his 76% from 2018/19, the season before Nagelsmann took over the RB Leipzig reins, so Konate has shown he can transform his style to suit a manager's demands. 

 

Nevertheless, given Liverpool's tendency to commit errors resulting in an opposition goal - no team has committed more in Europe's top five leagues this season than the Reds (9) - and a style of play that means they see plenty of the ball - only Manchester City (61%) average more possession than Liverpool (59.5%) in the Premier League this season - it's a side to Konate's game that requires improvement. 

 

That said, working alongside a ball playing phenom like Van Dijk will only help Konate improve this quality. Despite making just five league appearances this season, only three centre-backs have made more accurate passes than Van Dijk (3210) since the start of 2019/20, with the Dutchman the ideal centre-back mentor for Konate. 

 

If he can stay fit, then he will be a smart addition to a Reds defence that has endured rotten luck on the injury front this season. While a small sample size, Konate has been a solid performer when called upon by Nagelsmann, as evidenced in a WhoScored rating of 7.02 from his 10 league starts under the young head coach, but with a €40m release clause, RB Leipzig are powerless to prevent the youngster from leaving for pastures new if he so wishes. 

 

There is a high ceiling to Konate's game and an untapped potential that Klopp evidently believes he can coax out of the Frenchman. If he can live up to the billing, then the €40m release clause will look a steal further down the line and, alongside Kabak and Joe Gomez, will leave Liverpool with an exciting young defence that can learn off the best in Van Dijk, providing a solid defensive foundation to build upon for years to come.

Who is Ibrahima Konate? Liverpool's next top centre-back talent