Ten Hag Eyes Liverpool Defender for Shock Leverkusen Transfer Swoop
Bayer Leverkusen has identified Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah as a potential target to strengthen their backline under newly appointed manager Erik Ten Hag.
Following Jonathan Tah's move to Bayern Munich after contributing to Leverkusen's unbeaten Bundesliga championship season, the club is actively seeking replacements. According to Fabrizio Romano, Jarell Quansah has been added to their candidate list alongside Loïc Badé, though any deal for Quansah would reportedly be independent of discussions regarding Florian Wirtz.
The 22-year-old Quansah, who emerged from Liverpool's youth academy, made his first-team breakthrough in August 2023. He participated in Liverpool's two EFL Cup triumphs during Jürgen Klopp's tenure and featured in 13 matches during their recent Premier League campaign. His capability to perform both as a central defender and fullback could provide Ten Hag with tactical flexibility, particularly valuable after Jeremie Frimpong's departure to Liverpool.
Quansah has also gained valuable European experience, starting two Champions League league phase matches among his four total appearances in continental competition last season. Ten Hag is likely to implement his own tactical approach, moving away from Xabi Alonso's preferred three-defender formation. The England U21 international could either integrate seamlessly or be developed gradually as a future prospect without immediate performance pressure.
If Liverpool decides to transfer Quansah, their defensive options would become limited. The club currently has Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté as central defenders, while Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas, Conor Bradley, and Frimpong cover the wide positions. Van Dijk and Konaté appear to be the established starters, with Frimpong expected to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold in the starting lineup.
While Liverpool has been connected with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez as a left-back option, they might reject Leverkusen's interest simply due to squad depth concerns. Wataru Endō, primarily a midfielder, did make three appearances as a center back last season, though all came in domestic cup competitions. This hardly constitutes dependable backup for manager Slot as he aims to compete across all four tournaments in the upcoming season.
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