On the latest episode of David Ornstein’s Q&A show for the Athletic via YouTube – and their first of the New Year – Ornstein was quizzed on how ‘likely’ Liverpool are to sign Sven Botman in January.
Fan Euigeun C also asked whether the Reds have the ‘capacity’ to sign anyone during this transfer window, considering how much has been made of their restricted finances since the pandemic struck.
Botman, who turns 21 years old next week, has been widely linked for the Reds after his brilliant start to life at Lille, who he joined from Ajax via their B team this summer.
There’s been some mixed signals on the interest in the Dutchman, Fabrizio Romano reported recently that the ball was in the Reds’ court, whilst James Pearce suggested Liverpool interest was a hype ploy.
Ornstein has now offered a similar stance to colleague Pearce, adding that the Reds have no ‘specific interest’ in signing Botman in either January or the summer.
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“Sven Botman has made such a a positive impression since joining Lille from Ajax, he’s still only 20 years old, but he’s already attracting admiration from some of Europe’s leading clubs.”
“Liverpool have one of the best recruitment operations in world football, so I’m sure they’ll be across it but we’re told they don’t have any specific interest at this moment in time and are not working on Botman for the summer either.”
“Now, things can change, so there’s no point us giving too definitive an answer either way.”
“Whether they have the capacity to do anything in January, I presume they do, but I think all of their plans – as things stand – are still focused on the summer.”
“To bring in someone that’s decent value for money and can make an immediate impact is not easy, many people feel Liverpool have to do something – especially at centre-half – I’m sure that they have their options and list of potential recruits, but right now I don’t sense that anything specific is brewing.”
Ornstein showed he’s one of the more respected journalist from the UK by realistically adding that ‘thing can change’ – of course if Botman continues to shine and cements a top three finish for Lille in Ligue 1 this season, concrete interest will of course come for the 6ft4 ace.
One thing the rumour mill has shown so far is that links involving Liverpool and centre-backs will not stop anytime soon, as Klopp faces pressure to strengthen in this area.
That’s as a result of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez being out with long-term knee injuries, as well Joel Matip showing that he’s unfortunately still injury-prone as he’s on the sidelines once again.
This predicament saw defensive midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson start at the heart of the defence in the defeat against Southampton.