The World Cup is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of the players participating in Russia this year. They spend years training and preparing to one day get the chance to play on the greatest stage of all and for some of the fortunate players, it can be the chance they need to further their career. A few good performances can showcase their skills to teams across the world, so every player strives to do their best.
The World Cup is perfect for scouting players
The World Cup is also a very convenient way for football clubs to identify and assess potential signings. Rather than spending a year travelling all over the world to watch certain players, they have the majority of the talent pool all together in one place over a period of four weeks. Playing well at the World Cup also shows a level of ability that is often desired at the biggest clubs. Being the stand-out player in a poor league does not show how a player can perform in high standard games, unless they are able to show it in games like the World Cup against quality teams.
Current centre back pairing at Liverpool
One transfer that could be on the cards is Yerry Mina to Liverpool. He has been limited with his playing time at Barcelona but that does not appear to have affected his form after top performances so far in the World Cup. He even managed to get a goal to his name against Poland with a well-taken header. Liverpool broke the world record transfer for a defender when they brought Virgil Van Dijk to Anfield but prior to that, the centre back spot was a weak area for Liverpool.
Dejan Lovren has had a bumpy journey so far at Liverpool but the addition of Van Dijk appears to have brought the best out of him. He has also been instrumental in Croatia’s World Cup matches where he has come out on top in a battle with Lionel Messi. Mina would certainly provide another great option at the back, with Klavan and Matip moving down the pecking order or moving on. No negotiations are likely to take place whilst he is still playing in the World Cup but it will certainly be interesting to see if Klopp pursues the Colombian.
