€28m-rated Bundesliga champion linked as Liverpool's Van Dijk replacement

Virgil van Dijk has less than one year left on his Liverpool contract and, as its expiry date ticks closer, it may be time for the Reds to assess their options and start to identify a successor.

One man who has recently been linked with a move to Merseyside is Bundesliga invincible Johnathan Tah, who also has less than a year remaining on his contract with current club Bayer Leverkusen.

The German defender played 48 times for Leverkusen last season in their historic campaign that saw them only one win away from a completely unbeaten treble.

In the end the German side settled for a league and cup double but looked like one of the best sides in Europe over the course of the season, under the guidance of Liverpool icon Xabi Alonso.

READ MORE: How Slot-ball has fixed Liverpool's biggest issue under Jurgen Klopp

Who is Jonathan Tah?

At 28 years old Tah does not fit into the profile that Liverpool typically look for when making signings, but the Bundesliga champion offers a lot of experience, something that the current Liverpool squad may lack if Van Dijk were to leave.

Liverpool lost their captain and vice-captain when Jordan Henderson and James Milner both left the club in 2023 and the Reds could find themselves in a similar situation next summer.

Van Dijk is the club captain but his vice-captain, Trent Alexander-Arnold, is also out of contract in the summer and another of the team’s leaders, Mohamed Salah, is in the same position.

Tah is one of Leverkusen’s vice-captains and has also played for Germany over 30 times and could provide the leadership this Liverpool squad would need if any of the club’s out-of-contract trio were to leave.

How does Tah compare to Liverpool’s current options?

Liverpool’s current central defensive core comprises of Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté and Jarell Quansah, all of whom are neat passers and strong in the air. It looks like under Arne Slot the emphasis on defenders being able to pass the ball is only going to increase.

The Reds' current set of centre-backs all boasted impressive pass completion rates last season, Van Dijk had the highest with 91.4%, Quansah the next best with 88.6% and Konaté also put up a respectable 87.9%.

Tah however managed a pass completion rate of 94.4%and also completed 80.9% of his long passes, compared to Virgil’s 73.5%, Konaté’s 57.9% and Quansah’s 53%.

This shows that Tah is a more than capable passer and would be able to fit right into Liverpool’s back line.

Although Tah would be able to replace Virgil’s passing output, he isn’t quite as strong in the air. Last season Van Dijk won 81.4% of his aerial duels, whilst Tah only had a 73.8% win rate.

A 73.8% win rate is nothing to be scoffed at, and was better than Konaté (71.3%) and Quansah (67.2%) managed, but if Tah were to replace Van Dijk, Liverpool’s aerial superiority could be in danger.

Could Tah be a bargain?

As mentioned before, Tah is out of contract at the end of the current season, and this means Liverpool could pick him up on a free transfer.

His market value is currently estimated to be around €28 million, according to Football Transfers, and so Liverpool would be saving themselves a decent sum if they were to pick Tah up on a free transfer.

The main issue with Tah is his age, he is 28 now and will be 29 by the close of the season. For Liverpool, signing a 29-year-old on presumably large wages could be a risk, especially as the defender has never played outside of the Bundesliga before.

Tah suffered with injuries early in his career but hasn’t missed a game through injury since the 2021/22 season, meaning his injury record is about as good as Liverpool could hope for.

Ultimately, Tah has put up impressive numbers in recent seasons, and his numbers have improved under the coaching of Xabi Alonso, meaning he could be a viable option to replace Liverpool’s captain if he were to leave Anfield for free.

Tah’s wages could be absorbed by the cash freed up from Van Dijk’s departure and the lack of transfer fee will be appealing to Liverpool but the defender is older than the Reds would ideally like and has never played outside of Germany before.

Whilst Tah is definitely a valid option for Liverpool’s defence he is not a like-for-like Van Dijk replacement, if one even exists, and although he would be a useful signing for the Reds he may not be enough to replace the colossus that is Virgil van Dijk.