Liverpool Has Found The Natural Successor To Virgil Van Dijk
Liverpool's transition to the Arne Slot era has gone well. While the Reds suffered a shock home defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier this month, the Anfield side has made a strong start to the season, sitting top of the Premier League table after six games. Liverpool, however, is approaching another crossroads.
Three of the club's best and most important players are into the final year of their respective contracts. As things stand, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk will leave Anfield at the end of the season. This would give Liverpool a lot of work to find their replacements before the 2025/26 campaign.
In Ibrahima Konate, though, Liverpool at least has someone who could help the transition into a new generation in a defensive sense. The 25-year-old has made a leap forward in his development over the early part of the season and is taking over from van Dijk as Liverpool's dominant defender.
Konate has scored important goals in wins over AC Milan and Wolves, but his greatest contribution to Liverpool's eye-catching season so far has come at the back where he has forged a strong partnership with van Dijk. No team has conceded fewer goals in the Premier League this season than Liverpool.
But as van Dijk starts to physically fade as a player now entering the twilight of his career at 33, Konate is improving all areas of his game. He is averaging 3.5 clearances per 90 minutes in the Premier League as well as 1.8 accurate long passes per 90 minutes, highlighting the Frenchman's ability to contribute in and out of possession. Arne Slot has emboldened Konate by starting in five league games.
Not even van Dijk is winning more aerial duels per 90 minutes than Konate who is a formidable figure in either penalty area. Not only does the 25-year-old have the physical attributes to impose himself on the match, his decision-making is improving with almost every game he plays at the moment.
Of course, Liverpool surely wishes to keep van Dijk around for at least another season, but Konate's emergence as one of the best centre backs in the Premier League has given them a contingency plan. The shrewdest clubs know when their best players have reached the end of a cycle and Liverpool might be reaching that point with van Dijk. Konate represents the defensive future of the Anfield side.
