Is Ozan Kabak the new Van Dijk? Who is Liverpool’s impending arrival

The path from Schalke to Liverpool isn't an unfamiliar one. Joel Matip made the move to Anfield back in 2016 and, his chequered injury history aside, has proven a solid capture for the Reds, particularly as he arrived on a free five years ago. 

And it appears as though Liverpool are to raid the Bundesliga side once more as they seek to further bolster their backline prior to tonight's 11pm transfer deadline. It's no secret that Liverpool need a new centre-back. To add to Matip's injury woes, Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk have each spent a substantial chunk of the campaign on the sidelines, while Fabinho missed the 3-1 win at West Ham on Sunday night due to injury. 

Jordan Henderson has proven a sufficient stand in, but Liverpool miss his tenacity in midfield when he drops back to centre-back. Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams don't appear to be of the standard Liverpool require to help defend their crown, with Liverpool aiming to add to the defence in the coming hours. 

Preston's Ben Davies looks set to turn down Celtic in favour of the Reds, however he won't be the only defensive addition to the side if reports are to be believed. 

Ozan Kabak is a long-standing target for Liverpool and head coach Jurgen Klopp, and after failing to land the centre-back in the past, it looks as though the defending champions are set to get their man. 

Klopp was influential in landing Matip in 2016, with the German revealing in 2019: "It was maybe one of the best pieces of business we did in the last few years." The Reds boss must now be hoping Kabak can surpass Matip as one of his best signings since moving to Liverpool in 2015. 

While plying his trade for Bundesliga basement boys Schalke, Kabak still has plenty of admirers and understandably so. At 6'1" he is an imposing figure at the heart of the defence and he puts his physique to good use with an aerial success rate of 77% the third best in the Bundesliga this season of the 176 players to contest 25 or more aerial duels. 

Given Liverpool boast a WhoScored weakness of 'aerial duels', a defender of Kabak's standing would vastly improve this side to the Reds' game. The absence of Van Dijk, a player Kabak has described as his idol, has had, as was to be expected, a negative impact with the Dutchman mustering a 75.2% aerial success rate since the start of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign and Liverpool now find themselves suspect to aerial attacks without the commanding Netherlands international at the heart of the backline with their aerial duels won per game at 13.6 per game the second lowest in the Premier League, while four headed goals conceded this season is already more than 2019/20 (3). 

A capable performer at repelling aerial attacks, Kabak's ball playing ability is also improving with age and minutes under his belt. During his time in Germany, the youngster's pass success rate has improved each season, starting with 77.2% during the second half of the 2018/19 campaign with VfB Stuttgart, that rising to 81.5% in his first full season with Schalke and improving further to 87.9% in 2020/21. 

Liverpool's possession average of 60.4% is the second best in the Premier League, while a pass success rate of 86.2% ranks third in the division. As such, Kabak's quality with the ball at his feet would be a welcome addition to the Liverpool defence. Off the ball, though, there is a rashness to his game that perhaps is to be expected to with a centre-back his age. The Turkey international commits a foul with 37% of his attempted tackles, while his second start of the current campaign saw him receive his first league red card of his career. 12 yellow cards is also the third most of all Bundesliga centre-backs since the start of 2019.

However, this is a mental weakness that can be ironed out and, at 20, time is very much on Kabak's side. The Turkish centre-back seems the ideal fit for Liverpool in their current time of need, and one who would be more than capable of stepping in and out of their backline as and when required. As a loan deal with an option to buy, it's a low risk transfer on deadline day, with the main question mark being why it took so long for Liverpool to make their move. 

It's reported that Schalke will be landing Shkodran Mustafi to ease the departure of Kabak, a decision that would see the Bundesliga basement boys weaker at the back, but a deal that would ensure Liverpool at long last bring in a new centre-back to ease their injury woes ahead of the second half of the campaign.