Liverpool’s £300 million+ spending spree has seen them sign some of the most exciting and well-known names in the game, with Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike adding a ‘Galactico’ factor to their already impressive squad.
Arne Slot’s new look attack is already firing but their defensive frailties have been exposed over their first two games of the season. Leoni, 18, who joined from Parma for a reported fee of £26 million, may not be the answer to that just yet, but he is certainly one to watch for the future.
It took 30 first team appearances for Europe’s elite to sit up and take notice of Leoni. Now he’s found a home, who is he, and where does he fit in at Liverpool?
Liverpool have wanted a young centre back for a while
Virgil van Dijk isn’t getting any younger, and Liverpool would do well to take full advantage of his immense defensive knowledge, while he’s still knocking about. They were interested in Leny Yoro before he ultimately ended up at Old Trafford, so it’s something that has been on their mind for the past couple of seasons.
Dean Huijsen was their priority target at the start of the summer, as he was for many teams around Europe, but he decided to join Real Madrid. Sporting director Richard Hughes gave his team the mission of finding the next best thing, and they landed on Leoni.
There were rumours that Liverpool would be looking to loan him out so he can gain some more first team experience before being bedded in, but following the exit of Jarell Quansah, they lack numbers at the back.
Marc Guehi remains a target, and should he join from Crystal Palace, he would of course be ahead of Leoni in the pecking order. That move isn’t guaranteed, however, so it looks like Leoni will remain at Anfield, for now at least.
Style of play
First things first, he’s huge. Standing at 6’5” and built like a shed, an image of him manhandling Romelu Lukaku in Parma’s 0-0 draw with Napoli has gone semi viral on social media, so physicality shouldn’t be an issue when he makes the transition to the Premier League.
He’s almost as strong in the air as he is on the ground, winning 63% aerial duels in the league last season, while also showing a strong awareness for crosses and cutbacks, often finding himself in the right place at the right time.
Comparisons to the bid Dutchman are inevitable, and while their different players, he also has that Van Dijk-esque ability to carry the ball out from central defence, Leoni has a 100% dribble success rate in the Serie A last season, albeit there was only three of them.
Of course, there is still room for improvement, that comes with his age and inexperience. He was quite risk-averse at Parma last season, choosing the safe option rather than the type of ball we’ve come to see from Premier League centre-backs in recent seasons, as shown with his 88.7% pass accuracy rate.
Verdict
It’s quite a large fee for an 18-year-old centre back who made just 17 appearances across all competitions for Parma last season, but such is the current market. Leoni’s potential is undeniable, and the environment he’s entered at Liverpool should help him reach it.
Learning from Van Dijk is the kind of opportunity any young defender would kill for, if he’s patient, the minutes will come, but he’ll likely have to wait for cup games and late substitute appearances if he wants to make an impact this season.