The summer transfer war that Liverpool now appears to have won involved more than just Caicedo.
Liverpool and Chelsea frequently clashed in the transfer market throughout the summer, most notably over the acquisition of Roméo Lavia and then Moisés Caicedo. But Liverpool and Chelsea’s feud was about more than just their midfield tandem.
Liverpool had another goal in mind during the summer window: a defender. A left-sided centre back who might maybe relieve Virgil van Dijk and lighten the game load for the soon-to-be Liverpool captain was a topic of much discussion.
Levi Colwill, a player who had been very effective at Brighton the previous season, was one of the Reds’ top contenders for the position. Even earlier in July, 90min said that Liverpool was prepared to move for the Chelsea defender who was returning from his Brighton loan.
However, Chelsea ultimately priced the Reds out of a possible trade, and Colwill chose to sign a contract extension at Stamford Bridge in its place. That felt like a blow at the moment, especially because Colwill revealed in an interview with Goal that Steven Gerrard was his childhood idol.
But with the benefit of hindsight, Liverpool may legitimately argue that, like with Caicedo and Lavia, the Reds have ultimately come out on top in this scenario. After all, Liverpool chose to bring through academy graduate Jarell Quansah rather than paying Chelsea an exorbitant fee. Quansah went on to flourish during the summer preseason and has continued in the same form since the start of the 2023–24 campaign.
Quansah has easily transitioned to the first team. He performed admirably against Bournemouth on Wednesday night, winning Man of the Match honours for his efforts. Quansah displayed excellent maturity and calm, not for the first time this season, while playing in challenging circumstances against a tricky opponent away from home.
He has stepped up and performed well beyond his years in every game he has played thus far. The fact that he completed the most passes in each of his last three starts for Liverpool speaks much about his poise.
Quansah fits Jürgen Klopp’s ideal defence player profile in every manner, from his ability to read the game and initiate attacks to his level of maturity when defending. Liverpool will be happy that the team made the decision it needed to make in the summer for this reason.
If Liverpool had signed Colwill during the summer, they might not have found Quansah, who could develop into a player on par with the Chelsea defender in the future. It was a difficult window for Chelsea and Liverpool last summer. However, given how the season has begun thus far, it appears that the Reds will come out on top, even though it initially seemed to be the opposite.
