As the new Arne Slot era begins at Liverpool, among the key issues in the Dutchman’s in-tray will be to consider the contract status of three of the club’s key figures, with Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk all with just 12 months left to run on their existing deals.
In the case of Salah, there has been a general acceptance that the Egyptian’s exit is a matter of when and not if, with the wing wizard – who turns 32 next month – the subject of intense interest from Saudi Arabia over the last 12 months or so.
Meanwhile, for Alexander-Arnold, it would seemingly be a far more concerning scenario to lose the academy graduate for nothing in a years’ time, with the 25-year-old on a path to becoming the “very best right-back of all time”, in the words of Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.
Keeping the Englishman at all costs, while perhaps begrudgingly letting Salah depart, may be the best or more likely course of action over the next 12 months, yet a resolution to Van Dijk’s position is seemingly less clear – having cast doubt over his future amid Jurgen Klopp’s departure.
While the former Southampton and Celtic star has since outlined that he may be part of Slot’s plans moving forward, after talks with his compatriot, it would not be the worst idea to already be thinking of a succession plan – particularly with the centre-back turning 33 in July.
Managing to fill the shoes of the towering colossus will be no mean feat, although the Anfield giants appear to have their eyes on a promising successor who could represent a dream first signing for the new Reds boss.
Liverpool seeking dream first Slot signing
According to Daily Mail journalist, Kieran Gill, the Merseysiders are said to be showing an interest in Chelsea sensation, Levi Colwill, with Slot said to be “chasing a versatile left-footed defender” – a role the 21-year-old can fulfil having featured at centre-back and left-back this season.
The suggestion is that the Blues are keen to keep hold of the young Englishman – whose contract deal is set to run until 2029 – this summer, after previously fending off interest from Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion last year.
Perhaps, however, Slot and co could look to capitalise on the Stamford Bridge outfit’s PSR concerns, with rumours rife that the west Londoners may be forced to cash in on fellow academy graduates Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher.
Whether Colwill could be added to that list remains to be seen, although if a suitable offer is to arrive for the elegant left-footer – who is valued at €50m (£43m) by CIES Football Observatory – then Liverpool may fancy their chances.
Levi Colwill’s season in numbers
Despite making 32 appearances in his first full season in the first-team at Chelsea, it proved something of a difficult campaign for young Colwill in 2023/24, with the one-cap England international missing out on Gareth Southgate’s provisional Euro 2024 squad, having not featured since March.
An unused substitute for the final four games of the season, the former Brighton loanee had been hampered by a toe injury prior to that, while also previously missing a handful of games due to a hamstring issue.
Equally, the the emerging “giant” – as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – was forced to operate for much of the first half of the season at left-back under Mauricio Pochettino, despite typically operating in the heart of the defence.
That said, such versatility could well work in the one-time Huddersfield Town man’s favour amid Slot’s search for a flexible option, the Dutch coach having notably utilised David Hancko as both a left-sided full-back and centre-half in Rotterdam this season.
A true “Rolls-Royce” of a defender, according to Kulig, Colwill impressed in his 23 league outings when he was fit and available, averaging 3.2 tackles per game, while winning 69% of his aerial duels and 65% of his total duels, as per Sofascore.
He still has a way to go to match the levels of the man he has previously been compared to in Van Dijk – who won 76% of his total duels and 81% of his aerial duels – yet it does bode well that he was only dribbled past 0.3 times per game after typically operating as an unorthodox left-back. For comparison, Andy Robertson was dribbled past 0.7 times per game from his 23 outings.
As such, the hope will be that Colwill can prove to be the natural successor to Van Dijk at left centre-back, with the aim of forging a long-term partnership with fellow emerging English sensation, Jarell Quansah.
How Colwill could slot in at Liverpool
While Colwill’s Euro 2024 hopes have been crushed – likely due to his stint out with injury – Quansah, meanwhile, still has an outside chance of making the travelling party to Germany, amid his inclusion in Southgate’s 33-man training squad.
That senior call-up is just reward following what was a stunning breakthrough season for the 21-year-old under Klopp, the Warrington-born titan the subject of sizeable praise from pundit Gary Gillespie, who said “his performances have just elevated him into a different stratosphere” – in comparison to Ibrahima Konate.
Like Colwill, the 6 foot 3 ace has cut his teeth lower down the division after spending last season on loan at Bristol Rovers, prior to making 17 Premier League outings this time around, averaging 2.5 tackles per game and enjoying a standout 89% pass accuracy rate.
The natural right-footer has lined up as the right centre-back alongside Van Dijk for much of 2024, with the addition of Colwill set to provide him with a long-term partner, rather than direct competition.
Of course, no one at Anfield will be looking to force their Dutch colossus out the door any time soon, but the prospect of fashioning what could well be a decade-long partnership involving the two 21-year-olds is a mouthwatering one indeed.
Not just a potential future partnership for the Three Lions, but also on Merseyside, managing to pluck Colwill from Stamford Bridge would certainly represent a perfect first move for Slot at the start of this new era.