Liverpool have spent the majority of the summer transfer window trying to revamp their midfield following a mass exodus.
In total, five midfielders have left the club on a permanent basis, and although Jurgen Klopp has secured the services of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo in a bid to fill the void left by those who have departed, he will be keen on signing more.
But the German could yet strengthen other areas of his team, as the Reds have shown interest in a defender who has shone in Ligue 1 recently.
Who will Liverpool sign next?
According to French outlet L’Equipe (via Get Football News France), the Reds are interested in centre-back Arthur Theate, who is currently playing for Stade Rennais.
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Fulham are also keen, though the lure of Anfield and European football and the chance of winning trophies should prove to be a much bigger incentive.
The Belgian only moved to France last summer from Serie A side Bologna and according to Football Transfers, he is currently valued at €25.1m (£21m).
However, considering he has three years left on his current deal, you would imagine the French club will be demanding a pretty steep fee for his services.
How good is Arthur Theate?
The Anfield side endured a tough 2022/23 season, failing to win any trophies, and they scraped into fifth position following an impressive run across the final months.
They conceded 47 goals in the Premier League, which represented a major jump from the 26 they conceded the season prior when they finished second to Manchester City.
This suggests that Klopp needs to improve his defence, and Theate could certainly add something extra while also becoming an upgrade on Joe Gomez in the process.
Indeed, last season, the Belgian registered more goal contributions (four v zero) than Gomez, while also registering a higher pass completion percentage (89.4% v 85.7%) and a higher percentage of successful aerial duels (64.8% v 54.8%) – which clearly suggests he could be an upgrade on the Englishman.
Theate is also a forward-thinking defender, which could work well under Klopp.
Compared to positional peers playing at a similar level, the Belgian ranks in the top 1% for progressive passes per 90 (6.63) while ranking in the top 12% for progressive passes (1.16), total shots (0.96) and non-penalty goals (0.13) per 90, indicating that he could also be a reliable threat in front of goal.
Theate also made more clearances (3.2 v 2.2), kept more clean sheets (ten v eight) and lost possession less often than the current Reds centre-back, and he could yet improve should he join Liverpool.
He was lauded for his “remarkable performances” last term by journalist Sacha Tavolieri, and given the massive drop-off from the Liverpool defence compared to their wonderful 2021/22 season, it’s evident Klopp needs to freshen things up slightly.
Theate is still only 23 years old and has the potential to keep getting better. Alongside someone like Virgil van Dijk, the Belgian could settle in well on Merseyside, and he’d give Klopp a licence to ditch Gomez.