da doce： Liverpool hero Jan Molby believes that the summer arrival of Joel Matip could be a problem for one of Martin Skrtel, Dejen Lovren or Mamadou Sakho.
da leao： The Cameroon international – recently talked up by Jurgen Klopp – will join the Reds at the end of the season when his contract at Schalke expires with an agreement having been put in place.
With Matip in, arguably, the form of his career and having opted for Anfield despite widespread interest in his signature, it would suggest that a first-team role is a virtual guarantee for him, and Molby believes this to be true.
Writing in his Liverpool Echo column, the former Anfield midfielder claimed that the 24-year-old coming in could have serious repercussions for Lovren, Sakho or Skrtel:
“You have to assume Matip will be the number one choice. That’s why Jurgen Klopp has bought him, to build the defence around.
“We’ve struggled to find a partnership all season, and the question now is who Klopp will prefer alongside the new signing.
“He’ll have a good idea, and with our squad already well blessed in terms of centre-back numbers, I’d not be surprised if one of Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel are moved on.
“As I’ve said, we’re not short on centre-backs. But we’ve been looking for one to be the defensive linchpin, the one who can pull everyone together and organise the backline.
“Klopp will hope Matip is that man.”
Molby went on to claim that Matip’s athletic approach to the game should stand him in good stead in the Premier League:
“I’ve seen Matip play several times. He is a big, strong boy and is very composed, and the fact he has played so many games in a competitive and demanding Bundesliga will serve him well in the Premier League.”
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