Liverpool Transfer Update: Reds' New Signing Confident He Can Fill Van Dijk's Position

Liverpool may have finally found an immediate solution to its center-back problems in Ozan Kabak.

The Reds completed Kabak’s loan transfer from Schalke 04 on January window deadline day.

With Virgil Van Dijk still out, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp might benefit with the Turk’s presence on the defensive end at least until the end of the current campaign.

The Liverpool boss recently revealed that his star center-back is unlikely to return this season. As per Kabak, he has what it takes to fill the void Van Dijk left.

“Liverpool play offensive football and press high; sometimes they leave some space in the back so I think Liverpool center-backs need to be fast, so I think I suit it in this way,” Kabak told Liverpool’s official website. “Also, they like to play and build the game, so you need to have good feet to build up the game. So I think I suit Liverpool very well.”

“It doesn't matter how many injured players they have or who plays in the center-back position if they do their jobs well,” he continued. “I watched the last games and they played very good. Our coach will decide when I'm going to play or when I'm going to sit on the bench. But I will give my best and I will be ready when the chance comes.”

Even more interesting, the 20-year-old is still aware that Van Dijk is one of the best in the sport and he’ll always look up to the 2019 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.

“Virgil van Dijk is, I think, the best centre-back in the world at the moment,” the Bundesliga rising star emphasized. “The last three or four years he was always on his best performance. He's strong, he's good, he's so fast, he's clever. So that's why I see him as an idol.”

Kabak seems to be destined for Liverpool as his connection to Klopp’s long-time friend David Wagner played a huge role in his arrival at Anfield.

However, the German coach insisted that the said friendship had nothing to do with the actual deal.

“He [Kabak] is not here because David Wagner was his coach and Dave is my friend, not at all “, Klopp recently told a press conference. “When Dave was at Schalke, he is not there anymore, we spoke obviously a lot about football how we always do. We are both coaches, so we speak about football and when he spoke about Ozan he was already very, very positive.”

“Now, in the last few weeks, days or whatever, we [me and Wagner] didn’t speak really because it was not necessary,” he added. “Everybody knows everything about Ozan."