Liverpool raised a few eyebrows when opting not to strengthen the defence last summer, with Jurgen Klopp focusing all of his attention on restoring the malfunctioning engine room.
A mass midfield exodus was perhaps a tad unstinting, but then Klopp knew the severity of his squad's decline and pulled no punches in ridding Anfield of the deadwood, replacing the erstwhile stars with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.
Few can argue with the results; there is a feeling that Liverpool have not been at their best but yet perch in first place in the Premier League, have topped their Europa League group and await the visit of West Ham United in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
It's an exciting time for the club, with supporters anticipating fruitful fortunes over the coming years. To sustain the success, Liverpool must now bolster the backline, with Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie among the contenders for transfer.
Liverpool transfer news – Piero Hincapie
News relayed by Fussball Transfers suggests that Liverpool will find competition in their pursuit of Ecuadorian defender Hincapie, who has a €70m (£60m) release clause in his Leverkusen contract, with Italian teams AC Milan and AS Roma both registering an interest in his services.
Over on English shores, Liverpool are matched in their attention by David Moyes' West Ham, with summer reports suggesting that Liverpool had been in negotiations with the player's agents as they looked to find grounds for agreement with the Bundesliga club.
It didn't happen, with Klopp and co indeed focussing on revamping the midfield, but now the Reds will need to shift their attention, with Joel Matip's season-ending ACL injury exacerbating the thinness of the central defence.
Piero Hincapie's style of play
Hincapie is still in the maiden period of his professional career but has already chalked up 91 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, posting three goals and assists apiece and playing a prominent role last term, making 43 displays across all competitions.
This season, under Xabi Alonso's stewardship, Bayer Leverkusen might be thriving and top the Bundesliga table after 15 matches – three points ahead of Harry Kane's Bayern Munich who, albeit, have a game in hand – but Hincapie has sat on the periphery, starting just two times in the league.
The 21-year-old has indeed been used sparingly this season but boasts some impressive metrics nonetheless, completing 96% of his passes and winning 100% of his ground duels in the Bundesliga, as per Sofascore.
As per FBref, the £34k-per-week starlet ranks among the top 12% of centre-halfs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 16% for assists, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 19% for successful take-ons and the top 19% for tackles per 90.
A dynamic defender, the 30-cap Ecuador international has been tipped to become “one of the world's best centre-backs” by journalist and U23 scout Antonio Mango, who has also dubbed him an "absolute beast".
Also a capable left-back, Hincapie fits the profile of player that Liverpool are seeking to sign, strengthening the left side of the central defence and perhaps allowing Van Dijk to shift onto his favoured right side for a change, or perhaps initially serving as the perfect understudy.
Van Dijk has been imperious this season but will be 33 by the time the 2024/25 campaign comes around, and it's prudent for Liverpool to be seeking out eventual successors.
He's not done yet though, and will continue to lead from the rearguard over the coming years.
Virgil van Dijk's Liverpool career
Signing from Southampton for £75m in December 2017, Van Dijk has been one of the most transformative high-profile acquisitions of modern times, basically erecting an impregnable wall in front of the Kop End – ending years of dismal defending.
What followed was illustrious success, and lots of it. Klopp might have failed to lead his team toward Champions League qualification last season but he now has the chance to claim the one major honour that has evaded him at Anfield, and Van Dijk will only be too eager to claim the silverware.
Having amassed 237 appearances, scoring 20 goals and providing 17 assists, the Netherlands star has been hailed for his "magnificent" performances this season by the likes of journalist Lewis Bower, having admittedly flattered to deceive as the Reds struggled last season.
Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool
69
Cristian Romero
Tottenham Hotspur
45
Ruben Dias
Manchester City
43
Joel Matip
Liverpool
41
Diogo Dalot
Manchester United
40
*Sourced via premierleague.com
Robust, commanding and energetic, Van Dijk has been brilliant in the English top flight this year, completing 91% of his passes, winning 77% of his duels and averaging 4.7 ball recoveries and 4.9 clearances per game.
As Liverpool attempt to chase down the Premier League title, his influence and mettle in front of Alisson's goal will be crucial, and while the prospect of losing his services one day is daunting, Hincapie offers the set of skills to absorb Van Dijk's craft and succeed him over the coming years.
While Hincapie's domestic action has been limited this term, he has started five of Die Werkself's Europa League matches and topped his group, winning 67% of his duels, making 5.0 recoveries per game and completing 89% of his passes.
Having been predicted to be a "future legend of Ecuadorian football" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Hincapie is talented and steadily working his way to the fore, and while Alonso has opted not to provide him with a regular starting berth in the Bundesliga this season, he is still a top talent and would not really be expected to waltz, into Klopp's first-team instantaneously.
Rather, he would be eased in, like a gentle breeze, a zephyr, but carrying an ominous sense of foreboding. As Hincapie grows into his skin, implementing areas of Van Dijk's while honing his own, one day he will stand as a towering, blistering colossus of a defender, succeeding the Reds skipper and sustaining Liverpool's place at the forefront of European football.
