Liverpool have signed NEW centre-back and he's special | OneFootball

There's a 'new' centre-back at Liverpool and he looks special.

Right now everyone is desperate for the Reds to add at least another defender to their ranks. Pre-season has exposed the only weakness and achilles heel of this squad.

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For most of the summer, Arne Slot has had to field makeshift centre-back, most notably Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.

With Jarell Quansah having departed, and Joe Gomez injured, Liverpool have had to compete with just two senior centre-backs in their ranks.

This is something that is simply not sustainable. Liverpool need more options and depth in order to be able to challenge for the Premier League and the Champions League.

The hope is that Richard Hughes will accelerate a move for one of the club's targets. Whether that is Marc Guehi or Giovanni Leoni remains to be seen.

In the meantime though, pre-season has unleashed a 'new' centre-back at the club as well, who looked special in the role when being asked to play there.

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We're talking about Trey Nyoni here. Liverpool signed him as a holding midfielder back in 2023, but he had played as a centre-back before in his academy days.

At Liverpool, even at academy level, we haven't seen him play there. He's been deployed as a midfielder, which is clearly his preferred position.

However, it was interesting to see him being fielded as a centre-back against Athletic Bilbao on Monday night. Initially, there was a bit of trepidation whether he would be able to cope with the demands of the role, however, Nyoni quashed any doubts aside from the first minute.

He put in a commanding centre-back performance, making the most clearances in the match (4) and winning a couple of aerial duels as well.

Despite his slender frame he dealt with the physical challenges of the role really well, and he read situations astutely, making four interceptions and a brilliant intervention when Bilbao were clean through on goal and had only him and Freddie Woodman to beat, making it a two on two but really a two on one defensive situation for Nyoni.

The way he dealt with the challenge gives food for thought for Slot. In this Liverpool team right now there already are a plethora of midfielders, making the pathway into the first team a difficult one for Nyoni.

But what if he can now also not only provide an option in midfield but in defence as well? What if he can become Liverpool's 'new' centre-back?

Based on the evidence of this one game, it certainly seems like an option and if that's the case the pathway for him to get more minutes in the first team opens up straightaway.

Obviously, Liverpool would need another centre-back option, someone like Guehi. However, Nyoni has definitely proven he can provide depth there, and in turn become one of the 'new' centre-backs Liverpool are desperately lacking.