Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has been a busy boy this summer, shrewdly recruiting a couple very adept-looking mid-price players from Spain in Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto. Now Rodgers is poised to raid neighbouring Portugal for Benfica left-back Lorenzo Melgarejo. So what can Reds fans expect from the Paraguayan? Read on…
With a €30million (£26m) release clause in his contract, which still has five years left to run, it’s obvious Benfica had high hopes for the 22-year-old. ‘Had’ is the operative word, however, because Melgarejo’s first season at left-back last term was far from a resounding success.
Initially signed as a left-winger from Paraguay’s Independiente, Benfica boss Jorge Jesus insisted on converting Melgarejo, who has also been linked with Arsenal and Fenerbahce, into a defender.
It was considered something of a logic-defying strategy considering Melgarejo had finished the previous campaign as the top scorer (ten goals in 29 appearances) in midfield on laon at Pacos de Ferreira.
Despite blunders aplenty from his new defender, Jesus stuck to his guns right up until the Portuguese Cup final, which Benfica lost to Vitoria de Guimaraes, when he dropped Melgarejo.
But while his positional sense has been found wanting, there’s much to admire about Melgarejo going forward, with his overlap penchant and attacking instincts reminiscent of a Baines, Evra or Ashley Cole in full flow – and a tad more potent than the man he will have to dislodge from left-back at Anfield, Jose Enrique.
He caused Chelsea plenty of problems down the flanks during the Europa League final, and he is tenacious enough in the tackle to suggest that Rodgers should persist with Melgarejo in defence.
It’s unlikely to be that much of a gamble too, with reports suggesting Rodgers wants Melgarejo, who has been capped once by his country at senior level, initially on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal.
Verdict: Definitely worth a punt.
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