Duo arrived at Anfield for a combined £22m.
Check in to Swansea City vs Liverpool
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers claims that he has fixed the club’s back four for the next ten years following his transfer deadline day double swoop for centre-backs Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.
The Northern Irishman caused some raised eyebrows when he splashed out a combined £22m to bring the defensive duo to Anfield on Sept 2, with Sakho arriving from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, while Ilori was signed from Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon.
The Merseyside giants are already well stocked for high-quality central defenders this season, with Rodgers currently able to call upon the services of vice-captain Daniel Agger, Slovakia international Martin Skrtel and the recent new free-transfer arrival from Manchester City, Kolo Toure.
However, Rodgers still opted to bring in the pair, with France international Sakho the more experienced of the two and in line for a possible first start for his new team when the Reds travel to take on Swansea City in the Premier League on Monday night, while the younger Ilori is likely to need more time to settle in to his new surroundings on Merseyside.
“I wanted to try and protect the present and the future of the club,” said Rodgers ahead of his return to the Liberty stadium.
“Centre halves are so hard to find. You look at some teams and they have ageing centre halves because it’s a struggle to get a really good one. We were fortunate in that two became available.
“One that we had been tracking for a year was Tiago Ilori, a young talent, but who can become a big talent.
“He is 6ft 3ins tall, super quick, powerful and can jump. He just needs to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. He is one for the future, but he can be a really big talent.
“Sakho is also young, but he is an experienced player. He has senior international caps for France and looks an absolute monster in training. He’s one who is ready for now and that’s what we want.
“We had a chance to do that and protect the club for maybe the next 10 years and that is what we’ve done.”