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He was coming then he wasn't. Others were coming then they weren't. This summer, a new left-back had been long on the lips of Liverpool fans. Like every summer. The imminent arrival of Aly Cissokho is set to change everything. Liverpool presumably moved in for the Valencia left-back once a seemingly near-certain deal to sign Granda's Guilherme Siqueira stalled. Reports from Spain indicated that Liverpool's bid of €6M (£5M) had been rejected so the Cissokho deal was prioritised to beat interest from Sunderland.
The Liverpool Echo is reporting that a deal is close to completion and BBC expects Cissokho to arrive next week to tie things up. James Pearce of the Echo and the BBC's Ben Smith are two of the most reliable journalists around so the information is solid. Liverpool's wait to find a successor for the footballing behemoth that is Paul Konchesky is over. Finally.
Cissokho 's footballing journey has taken him to France, Portugal, and Spain. The 25 year-old was seen as a player of considerable promise at FC Porto and after an infamous aborted transfer to Milan, found himself in France with Olympique Lyonnais under Claude Puel for a deal worth around €15M (£12.8M). A few years later, Cissoko was bought by Valencia in a €6M (£5M) deal but his performances didn't match his reputation. Valencia have options in Mathieu, Bernat, and Guardado and selling Cissokho will bring much needed income for Los Che. The French international is on big wages for a La Liga side outside of the big two and there's a market for his sale.
Cissokho's game seems perfectly suited for the English Premier League. He's a quick, powerful, and attacking left-back who will get forward often. He's one of those left-backs who loves to carry the ball forward and can see a pass but unfortunately, there are doubts about his consistency and concentration. Sound familiar?
What we know is that Liverpool won't have to move Glen Johnson out of his favoured position on the right and Jack Robinson can develop his game at Blackpool without being recalled. The man from Blois can regain the form he once showed as he's only in his mid-twenties and will provide competition for Jose Enrique with a view to earning a permanent deal and adding to his solitary cap for France. If the deal doesn't work out then Liverpool can cut their losses and begin their search for another left-back once again.