Mislintat: Kabak a Lovren-Type Player

The calls for Liverpool FC to sign a fourth-choice centre-back back when we were all basking in the afterglow of a League win began after the departure of Dejan Lovren to Zenit Saint Petersburg. It’s fitting then, then one of the two signings brought in to solve the problem that started with Dejan’s move away has been compared to former self-proclaimed “best defender in the world”. Sven Mislintat, the former chief scout at Dortmund and Arsenal, had worked with Ozan Kabak at Stuttgart and spoke to The Athletic about giving his two cents to Jürgen Klopp.

I told Jurgen that he’s a top lad. Top mentality, top character, top aggression. He’s a Lovren-type player. Very good in the air, both defensively and in the opposition box.

He played his best stuff for us [at Stuttgart]. He hasn’t been able to show how good he is at Schalke. He still needs to learn but he has all the skills for Klopp to make a success of him.

It’s hard not to feel happy for a kid who’s getting the chance to play for his childhood club. Here’s hoping Kabak brings some solidity to a Liverpool backline that’s been held together by patchwork repairs for months, and that he makes the most of what is essentially a four-month trial for a longer contract with the club.