David Alaba deemed too small for Liverpool’s central defensive profile as Austrian’s Real Madrid move becomes clearer
The move for david Alaba to join Real Madrid has been made clearer by Liverpool deeming the player too small for what they’re after.
Defensive reinforcement
Liverpool are in need of adding defensive reinforcement to their side this January window to avoid further use of second string and youth players which has cost them a significant amount of points this season.
Whilst the individuals may not be bad in quality and Jurgen Klopp has spoken very highly of them, the gap between those and starting centre backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez is stark.
Both Gomez and Van Dijk have serious knee injuries which will see the most likely miss the remainder of the current season and therefore a move for a player in January seems like an opportunistic time for Klopp and his side to bring in cover.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 17: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT )Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool collides with Everton’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during the Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park on October 17, 2020 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Brazilian midfielder Fabinho has been covering in a centre-back role and as arguably their best defensive midfielder has left another area of the pitch slightly weakened.
A number of names were linked with the Reds including Schalke’s Ozan Kabak, RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, Lille’s Sven Botman and Brighton’s Ben White. However, according to The Athletic, Liverpool are more likely to pursue a deal for a marquee signing of the aforementioned ilk in the summer.
Alaba too small
Another of the names on the list of players which Liverpool were linked with was Bayern Munich’s versatile Defender David Alaba. The Austrian international is in a predicament in Bavaria with his current deal at the club running out at the end of the season and with a consistent failure to re-sign with the German and European champions.
Reportedly, a deal was offered to Alaba but has since been removed from the table by club President Herbert Hainer.
“We submitted to David and his advisor some time ago what we think was a very good offer,” Hainer said. “During the last meeting we had said we wanted clarity by the end of October. We did not hear anything until yesterday and we contacted his advisor.”
“The answer was that the offer was still unsatisfactory and we should think about it again. We then decided to take the offer completely off the table.”
This has meant that, with just 6 months left on his deal, Alaba can negotiate with other clubs regarding a pre-contract agreement which would see him sign for a team in the summer.
Although, Liverpool have now been confirmed to not be a possible destination for the Austrian after he was considered to be too small for the type of player the Reds are after.
Liverpool did hold talks over David Alaba last summer, partly as he could also play left-back and to price a move for Thiago as they were in a similar situation. I’m told he’s smaller than their centre-back profile and they’re looking at younger optionshttps://t.co/yB22IhqSAW
— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) January 13, 2021
With Liverpool out of the picture this has seemingly paved the way for a move to Real Madrid who have supposedly been the closest to signing him.
Alaba again confirmed to be target for Chelsea as Liverpool look set to miss out on defensive reinforcement
‘Plan to start talks in January’ – David Alaba to Chelsea links ramp up
Football Live streaming: Featured matches on January 27, 2020
| Game | Time | Predicted Score | Live Score Prediction/Live Score | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Burnley FC vs Aston Villa FC | 64' | 1-2 | 1-1 | |
| Chelsea FC vs Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 58' | 2-1 | 0-0 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion FC vs Fulham FC | 27 January, 19:30 (In 7 minutes) | 1-0 | 1-0 | |
| Everton FC vs Leicester City FC | 27 January, 20:15 (In 52 minutes) | 1-0 | 1-0 | |
| Manchester United FC vs Sheffield United FC | 27 January, 20:15 (In 52 minutes) | 2-0 | 2-0 | |
 Celtic Glasgow vs Hamilton Academical FC | 27 January, 19:45 (In 22 minutes) | 4-0 | 4-0 | |
| Hibernian FC vs Glasgow Rangers | 27 January, 19:45 (In 22 minutes) | 0-3 | 0-3 |
Liverpool betting odds, next game:
Tottenham vs Liverpool odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Tottenham vs Liverpool Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Tottenham | 9/2 | 5/1 |
| Liverpool | 3/1 | 3/1 |
| Draw | 10/3 | 12/1 |
| Tottenham vs Liverpool Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | 7/5 | 7/5 | 10/11 |
| Mohamed Salah | 6/4 | 6/4 | 4/5 |
| Sadio Mane | 11/5 | 11/5 | 13/10 |
| Carlos Vinicius | 5/2 | 5/2 | 8/5 |
| Divock Origi | 11/4 | 11/4 | 8/5 |
Liverpool's latest videos
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 19 | 23 | 41 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 19 | 11 | 40 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 19 | 14 | 38 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 20 | 6 | 35 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 19 | 15 | 34 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 8 | Arsenal FC | 20 | 6 | 30 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 17 | 13 | 29 |
| 10 | Chelsea FC | 19 | 10 | 29 |
| 11 | Southampton FC | 19 | 3 | 29 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 19 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 20 | -12 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 18 | -12 | 19 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 20 | -15 | 19 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 18 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 20 | -33 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 7 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
