Liverpool Must Find Long-Term Successor to Martin Skrtel If They Are to Progress
Martin Skrtel is set to be rewarded with a new three-year contract at Liverpool, reports claim, but the club must be wary of the terms of such a deal—the centre-back should be replaced in the long term if the Reds are to progress.
According to Dean Jones of the Mirror, the Reds will look to combat interest from VfL Wolfsburg and Napoli and tie Skrtel down to a new long-term deal.
Jones writes: "Club officials realise how crucial it is that the 30-year-old remains at the club, so are moving quickly to put their new terms in front of him."
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
It is clear that manager Brendan Rodgers is keen for this deal to progress.
But if he was to truly assess the long-term progress his side must make, in order to challenge for the Premier League title in the future, a successor for Skrtel must be found.
Martin Skrtel
In its essence, Skrtel signing new long-term deal with the club should be a boost for Liverpool supporters, as he has been one of Rodgers' best players throughout a turbulent 2014/15 campaign.
Initially deployed alongside either Dejan Lovren or Mamadou Sakho as a centre-back partnership in a back-four defensive system, and then in a central role in Rodgers' back-three in a 3-4-2-1 formation, Skrtel has played a focal role all season.
He is a strong, physical defender, and this adds a much-needed bite to the Liverpool defence.
Playing 2,700 minutes in the Premier League this season, Skrtel is behind only Jordan Henderson (2,986), Simon Mignolet (2,954) and Raheem Sterling (2,873) in the Liverpool squad in terms of time on the pitch.
With the joint-most aerial duels won (3.6), the most clearances made (9.8) and the most blocks made (1.1) per league game this season, too, this highlights Skrtel's prowess. Typically, Skrtel is the man to bail Liverpool out with a last-ditch block or clearance when required, and he is Rodgers' most capable aerial defender.
This has won the respect of the manager, who back in April attested to his growth to prominence on Merseyside, as reported by Izzy Horsefield of the Express:
"He's been outstanding this season. Whether we've played in a back-four or a back-three.
In the last couple of years he's really come to the fore in terms of the team. It's great to have him back.
The first six months when I came in here were difficult for him. He was having to adapt to a new way of working and playing. He didn't moan, he didn't complain.
He sat in the office and looked through his strengths and the areas that he needed to improve on and he took that onto the training field and worked his way back in (the team).
Since that moment, he's stayed in the team and been outstanding so he's a real strong character.
"
This may well extend to a big decision Rodgers has to make this summer, in terms of the soon-to-be vacated Liverpool captaincy.
Leadership?
As the manager continued: "He's a great player to have in your dressing room. His performance level this year has been outstanding."
This testimony highlights two key factors that may aid Skrtel's cause in the contention for either the Reds' captaincy or vice-captaincy on the departure of Steven Gerrard to MLS franchise LA Galaxy this summer: He is considered a strong leader off the field and a key performer on it.
When Gerrard leaves, Skrtel will become the longest-serving player in the current Liverpool squad, and this experience can prove invaluable. While it remains likely that current vice-captain Jordan Henderson will take over from Gerrard, Skrtel remains a viable candidate for Henderson's vacated position.
But herein lies the problem, and one that extends to the long-term, key role potentially outlined to the 30-year-old with his new three-year contract—he is not the best man for the job.
When Rodgers signed Lovren in the summer, for example, he described just why he had brought the former Southampton man into his squad, as reported by James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo: "Dejan is very commanding and has great leadership qualities. He's a front foot defender, he's not a waiter. He's aggressive, he goes and attacks the ball. He's a good character and he can play. But first and foremost a defender has to be able to defend and he can defend."
While Lovren has struggled to show these qualities on Merseyside since his £20 million arrival, this outline from Rodgers should point to a new, primary candidate for a leadership role at Liverpool.
Sakho is Liverpool's leader-in-waiting.
In Sakho's recent absence through injury, Liverpool have looked devoid of a communicative presence at the back; so it seems, that is not Skrtel's forte—he prefers to get things done with individual focus—and it certainly isn't Lovren's either.
Sakho is a front-foot defender, averaging more tackles (1.8) and interceptions (1.6) combined (3.4) per league game this season than Skrtel (2.9), with his lower average of clearances (5.7) and blocks (0.3) per game than Skrtel also showcasing his aggressive, preventative approach—far from the last-ditch Skrtel.
Sakho can play, too. He averages more key passes (0.3), more successful dribbles (0.9) and more overall passes (57.6) per league game than Skrtel, while posting just 0.7 percent less in terms of passing accuracy (89.5 percent) than his 30-year-old colleague (90.2 percent), despite typically playing riskier passes.
Compared to Sakho, Skrtel is severely limited, and the former Paris Saint-Germain captain's progressive style is integral to Liverpool's style of play.
Without him, the Reds have looked less fluent in the attack, with his direct, incisive passing style often feeding Liverpool's primary playmaker, Philippe Coutinho, before the opposition midfield can react.
Sakho is the player Liverpool need to build around at the back, the player they need to replicate and the centre-back Rodgers needs to put his long-term faith in.
A Look to the Future
So, while Skrtel signing a new three-year deal at Liverpool should be regarded as positive news by Reds supporters, with Rodgers securing the future of one of his most effective performers, this should not be considered the be-all and end-all on Merseyside.
When considering Rodgers' vision of a top-class centre-back, Skrtel's style jars considerably.
This summer, following Skrtel's commitment, Liverpool must still target a new long-term option at right centre-back, to operate alongside Sakho at left centre-back.
The returning Tiago Ilori, currently on loan with Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, could provide Rodgers with a ready-made solution in this position, and this could allow Skrtel to continue his first-team role for the time being while the Portuguese adapted to the rigours of both the Premier League and his manager's system.
Elsewhere, however, if Rodgers was to look beyond his current squad and into the transfer market, a crop of standout options should emerge.
Atletico Madrid's current Southampton loanee Toby Alderweireld, FC Basel's Fabian Schar and Athletic Bilbao's former Reds academy player Mikel San Jose would all make elite additions to Rodgers' back line.
Entering the realms of fantasy, either Real Madrid's Raphael Varane or Everton's John Stones would be the absolute ideal candidate to partner Sakho for the long term.
Any of these options would be an upgrade on Skrtel in terms of Liverpool being able to defend on the front foot, remain solid in trickier situations when required and, most importantly, build from the back with a progressive, passing style.
A new three-year deal for Skrtel should be regarded as good news by Liverpool supporters, but Rodgers must still find a long-term successor to the 30-year-old in order to truly progress.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
