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Centre-backs
The defence has been an issue for Liverpool in recent years and that’s why they have signed and sold numerous central defenders over the years, including Ragnar Klavan in the summer of 2018.
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Among the centre-backs Liverpool have sold in recent years, the one player that could have formed a good partnership with Virgil van Dijk is Sebastian Coates.
Coates joined Liverpool in 2011 after helping Uruguay win the Copa America. He was named the tournament’s best young player and joined his compatriot and the tournament’s best player Luis Suarez at his first club in Europe.
When the Uruguayan arrived, he was the fourth choice centre-back behind Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, and Jamie Carragher. In his first two seasons, he played a total of 24 games and scored with a spectacular scissor kick in the Premier League against QPR.
Coates suffered a serious injury in his third season at the club and he never found a way back into the Liverpool side after that. He left Liverpool to join Sunderland and from there he moved to Sporting for whom he still plays.
The 27-year-old is now a regular starter for the Portuguese giants.
Mamadou Sakho was signed in 2013 from PSG to fill the void of the departing Jamie Carragher. The Frenchman was tipped to be a long-term presence in the Liverpool defence but injuries hampered his progress several times.
The Frenchman played 80 games for the Reds in three seasons and scored the equalising goal in the famous 4-3 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League.
But Sakho fell out with Jurgen Klopp during pre-season ahead of the 2016/17 season and the manager showed him the exit door despite Liverpool’s well documented defensive issues. He joined Crystal Palace from the Reds and has been with them since.
Honourable mentions: Martin Skrtel (Fenerbahce), Ragnar Klavan (Cagliari), Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Mikel San Jose (Athletic Bilbao)
