- 16 hours ago
Liverpool pursuit of struggling €60m star actually makes PERFECT sense
Tom Weber
- Updated: 29 Apr 2024 19:33 BST
- 5 min read
Odilon Kossounou is currently dividing opinion in the media.
The Bayer Leverkusen defender has enjoyed - or endured - a season of contrasts domestically. One of the most impressive performers in Xabi Alonso's brilliant side in the first half of the campaign, Kossounou hasn't quite been the same since returning from a successful AFCON with the Ivory Coast.
His season recently hit its nadir when he was hooked by Alonso after just 29 minutes against West Ham for completely failing to cope with Hammers talisman Mohammed Kudus during their Europa League clash at the London Stadium. His replacement Edmond Tapsoba - a Man Utd target and the player with the highest release clause in the Bundesliga - managed to keep the scintillating Ghanaian winger quiet for the rest of the evening.
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A lot has been made of Kossounou's performance against West Ham, though Alonso clearly still trusts the 23-year-old, playing him in the breathtaking back-and-forth game against surprise package Stuttgart at the weekend. Kossounou even scored in that match but ultimately had his goal ruled out.
Kossounou to Liverpool?
Prior to the Stuttgart match, links emerged associating the Ivorian with Liverpool. CaughtOffside claimed that the Reds are potentially plotting a summer move and that €60 million would be enough to prise him away from the BayArena.
The report caused a ripple of surprise in the German media with the West Ham game still fresh in the minds of reporters. However, the reaction was completely exaggerated. Despite his dip in form, Kossounou is still an excellent defender and he consistently showed earlier in the season that he can be one of the best in the Bundesliga.
Additionally, with Arne Slot on his way to Anfield to replace Jurgen Klopp ahead of next season, a move for Kossounou appears fairly sensible. That is because the 23-year-old is a player quite similar to one of Slot's favourites, Feyenoord vice-captain Lutsharel Geertruida, who actually sparked some tentative transfer rumours due to being in the stands during Liverpool's draw against West Ham.
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Current ETV
Odilon Kossounou
D (CR), DM (C)
Odilon Kossounou
D (CR), DM (C)
Bayer 04
ETV Range
€20.7M - €34.5M
Geertruida is a versatile defender who mostly featured at centre-back last term but has usually been deployed at right-back in a back four this time around. This makes him quite similar to Kossounou despite the fact that Leverkusen mostly play a back three under Alonso.
Kossounou is generally the right-sided defender of the three, meaning that he is often tasked with playing like a right-back due to Jeremie Frimpong's unceasing attacking drive which essentially makes him a winger. The Ivorian has been something of a playmaker from deep for Leverkusen and loves to get involved in the build-up.
Odilon Kossounou vs Lutsharel Geertruida in possession during domestic league play (via SciSports)
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | Passes (p90) | Final third passes (p90) | Passes in/around the box (p90) | Build-up passes (p90) | Carries (p90) | Successful dribbles (p90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odilon Kossounou | 19 | 1 | 0 | 61.76 | 8.23 | 0.99 | 52.77 | 6.73 | 1.74 |
| Lutsharel Geertruida | 31 | 6 | 4 | 57.73 | 8.83 | 1.15 | 47.81 | 7.14 | 1.79 |
Kossounou is not afraid to drive forward and take players on, putting up similar passing and dribbling numbers to Geertruida, which illustrates that, although they play in very different systems, they do a similar job. Geetruida does put up much better attacking numbers due to having license to get properly involved in the attack, while Kossounou, in turn, rates better defensively.
It is unclear how involved Slot is/was in making Kossounou a Liverpool target, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Dutch tactician sees the Ivorian as a potential Geertruida-type player. Slot doesn't generally play a back-three system, but perhaps Kossounou's future actually lies at right-back.
Pep Guardiola at Man City and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal have made a habit of playing centre-backs in wide defensive roles and perhaps Liverpool could follow that trend under Slot.
It would also open up entirely new possibilities regarding the position of Trent Alexander-Arnold. His defensive shortcomings have been laid bare again in recent weeks, so a tweak in tactics could be quite fruitful. Either way, Liverpool's pursuit of Odilon Kossounou actually makes a lot of sense despite his recent struggles.
