Liverpool are set to make their second signing of the summer. Calvin Ramsay, the 18-year-old right-back, looks set to join Aberdeen.
Ramsay is keen to move, according to Dominic King of The Daily Mail, and the two clubs should be able to agree on a £ 4 million transfer fee. As such, fans can expect a “move” this week.
Neco Williams started the season as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s assistant, but after spending the second half of the season on loan at Fulham, it looks like his time at Liverpool will end soon. If the Reds’ £ 15 million demands are met, he will be allowed to leave on a permanent transfer.
Ramsay’s future arrival may also be bad news for his teenage teammate Conor Bradley, who made five first-team appearances in 2021/22. It is now expected that there will be another right winger ahead of him in the overall order, further reducing his path to the first team. The Reds could choose to give it up.
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But perhaps the forgotten man in this equation is Sepp van den Berg, who spent last season on loan at Preston North End. This summer marks three years since the arrival of £ 1.7 million from Eredivisie’s PEC Zwolle, but he has only played around 270 minutes for Liverpool’s first team.
Last season’s transfer, however, was a resounding success. Van den Berg started 43 of the 46 matches in the Preston Championship, with a total of 3969 minutes. Only two gardeners under the age of 23, Keane Lewis-Potter and Jacob Graves, improved that number (through Lewis Bower).
Van den Berg is a central medium by trade. In fact, his four appearances at Liverpool have reached the heart of the defense. But he actually started the 2021/22 season as a right winger, playing for 14 games.
The Dutchman says his preference is to play CB, but acknowledges that the position switch has helped develop his skills. “I’m learning the whole game,” he told Goal in the fall. “I have to do a little bit of everything, attack and defend.”
Preston journalist George Hodgson told ECHO that Van den Berg did not look out of place on the right and had impressed with his “arrangement” in possession. But creativity from a Liverpool winger is also expected.
Van den Berg’s contribution was limited in this regard. In the 14 games, he created eight chances and tried 15 crosses, only four of which were successful. This works like 0.6 key passes and 0.3 accurate deliveries per game.
Compare that to Ramsay, who averaged 1.8 and 1.7 respectively in Aberdeen last season. You can see why Liverpool are leaning towards a more natural option.
So what could Van den Berg’s future look like? Preston coach Ryan Lowe has already said he would like to be released on loan, but the 20-year-old has hinted that his time at Deepdale will be “over”. In a more recent interview, he stated his intention to “earn his place in the locker room” at Anfield in the preseason and fulfill his “dream” of playing alongside compatriot Virgil van Dijk.
When Van den Berg started as a right-back week after week, Liverpool’s coaching staff and fans may have hoped that Preston had come up with an ideal internal solution to his right-back problem. The Lilywhites were pleased with their performances on the flank, but in the end it was not enough to suggest that it would be a viable option for their main club.
The defender will either take on the role of Rhys Williams at Anfield, acting as a fifth-choice center-back, or will leave, either permanently or on loan. If he has to leave, Liverpool should be able to make a decent profit.
After consolidating in the league, Van den Berg has burst into the Netherlands under-21 team, scoring his first goal of the year against Gibraltar on Tuesday. Their actions are constantly increasing.
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