Liverpool have taken a HUGE transfer gamble on Jarell Quansah - will it pay off?

This time last year, the idea of Jarell Quansah being a vital squad player for Liverpool seemed unfathomable.

At that point, the Englishman had never made a senior appearance for the Reds, and as is the case with so many youth products at Anfield, an eventual exit seemed more likely than him staying for years.

But then Quansah enjoyed a breakthrough 2023/24 season that nobody saw coming, not only proving to be a genuinely reliable player for Jurgen Klopp, but ending the campaign in front of Ibrahima Konate in the pecking order.

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In total, 28 appearances came the 21-year-old's way, with his quality on the ball, underrated pace and general air of calm leading to comparisons with Virgil van Dijk.

You could count on one hand the number of genuine errors that Quansah made - the loose pass straight to Bruno Fernandes away to Manchester United was a low point - and the level that he found was admirable.

The centre-back's cultured displays were so impressive that they even earned him a call-up to England's provisional squad for Euro 2024, and while he didn't make the final cut, it was still a huge achievement.

As we head into another Premier League season, it feels increasingly as though Liverpool won't sign a new central defender, instead taking a giant punt on Quansah and trusting him as a long-term option.

Liverpool turn down chance to sign defender

Joe Gomez reportedly wants to stay, too, perhaps suggesting that Arne Slot will be used in his preferred centre-back role, giving the Reds four strong options there.

It is undoubtedly a gamble when it comes to Quansah, however, who may have excelled last time around but is still a work in progress - one who isn't guaranteed to become an elite-level player for the next decade or so.

Liverpool have been linked with various options to come in and bolster their defence this summer, including Manchester United's Leny Yoro, but Quansah's statistics suggest that persevering with him instead of spending big on another player is astute business.

Guehi and Colwill linked

Take Marc Guehi, for example, whose stock has risen significantly after an impressive Euro 2024 campaign with England.

The Crystal Palace stopper has emerged as a rumoured target for Liverpool - he now looks highly likely to join Newcastle instead - but is he really that superior to Quansah?

Last season, the Reds ace enjoyed an 88.8% pass completion rate in the Premier League, compared to Guehi's tally of 87.2%, and he also won double the number of aerial duel wins per game (2.6 compared to 1.2).

The Palace and England man may have averaged more clearances - 3.5 to 2.3, - but that's to be expected when playing in a team who are defending more often in matches.

Then there's Levi Colwill, who was a big reported target last summer and has again been mentioned in the current transfer window.

The Chelsea defender is arguably more highly-rated than Quansah, but there is nothing to suggest that he would come in and be an upgrade on his compatriot.

Colwill fell short of Quansah in pass completion rate and aerial duels, and while his average of 2.1 tackles per match pipped the Liverpool centre-back's 1.5, that could suggest that the latter's positional sense is simply superior.

There is no doubt that Colwill is a big talent in his own right, and could enjoy a successful future in the game, but the Reds signing him and neglecting Quansah would feel needless, given the strides that he has made at Anfield.

Liverpool look elsewhere for signings

None of this is to say that there aren't defenders out there who could be stronger options than him, though, with Sporting CP star Goncalo Inacio a young footballer with an extremely high ceiling.

The Portuguese is only a year older than Quansah but is already an 11-cap Portugal international and has already made 172 appearances for his club side, highlighting his vast experience at such a young age.

Liverpool supporters would no doubt love to see someone of Inacio's stature come in - we all love shiny new signings, after all - but trusting Quansah instead is an admirable, albeit risky, approach to take.

Things can change in the transfer market, but as things stand, it feels as though Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes' main target this summer will be a No.6 to anchor the midfield, with the pair content with the centre-backs in Slot's squad.

Quansah looks the real deal

Van Dijk and Konate will surely go into the new season at Liverpool's go-to first-choice pairing in defence, but the latter's injury problems mean chances should come Quansah's way aplenty.

As mentioned, he deservedly kept the Frenchman out of the team at the end of last season, and if he can find another gear, there is no reason why that can't happen again.

It's hard to predict exactly how Quansah's ceiling is as a player, but the progress he has made in the past 12 months is astonishing, and he looks the real deal.

The young star has everything in his locker to become a top-quality player over many years, but it's also a case of handling the expectations of playing for Liverpool week in, week out, and consistently finding an elite level.

Should Quansah kick on and become a starter for club and country, the Reds' decision not to panic and sign new defenders will be a masterstroke, but there is also the potential for it to go wrong.

Nothing suggests that we should doubt Quansah after such a meteoric rise, but supporters will now expect the same again, and more, and how he deals with that pressure is going to be pivotal.