Liverpool looks to the house of Lazio. As Il Messaggero and Radiosei claim, the Reds have targeted Wallace, the 23-year-old Brazilian defender. The current Biancocelesti man has been attracting mild interest from the Champions League finalists, and Lazio could allow the Brazilian to leave if the offer is high enough.
Off of the back of a disappointing season, Wallace played in only 17 matches this season in all competitions [Serie A TIM (13) / Coppa Italia (2) / Supercoppa (1) / Coppa Italia (1)] in the 2017/8 season. After starting strong, his performances soon began to fall after crucial mistakes, which saw the player lose his spot in the starting 11, and lose the coach Simone Inzaghi’s faith at the back. When given another opportunity to prove himself between teammates Luiz Felipe, Bastos, and Caceres, he failed and remained on the bench.
With an average match rating of 6.67, the Lazio defender had an average of 1.4 aerials won per match, a pass success percentage of 86, and 5 yellow cards – all of which in the Serie A TIM (where he managed only 13 appearances)
As a tall footballer at 191 cm, Wallace has strength in the air and is able to clear the ball quite well with his aggressiveness and defensive ability. On the downside, though an average pass success percentage of 86, the Brazilian gives possession away too easily, and looks uncomfortable in tight situations when he has the ball – something that is sure to improve with experience.
Liverpool has been on the hunt for a defender for quite some time to improve that aspect of their squad, and they finally did when they signed Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton for a hefty £75 million transfer fee. However, this transfer has paid off, as he quickly became a fan favourite scoring in his first match for the English side, and has become a rock at the back in their starting 11.
With Matip, Lovren and Klavan the only other options for that other centre-half role, many would like to see that gap filled by a new purchase and Lazio’s Wallace could be the man to do so.
Liverpool fans: how would you like to see Wallace join Klopp’s side?
Lazio fans: is it the right time to sell the defender, or should he be given another chance?
