Danny Murphy believes Liverpool should consider signing Barcelona left-back Balde in January, describing the Spain international as a “super talent” who already understands the pressure of playing for a major club.
Balde, who has made only three substitute appearances in La Liga this season, has fallen out of favour at Barcelona. The £33m defender was also linked with Manchester United midway through the campaign.
Liverpool have already spent about £200m on Jeremy Jacquet, Barcola and Victor Munoz since Andoni Iraola took over from Arne Slot, but five defeats in their opening 10 Premier League matches have increased the focus on further recruitment in January.
The club’s left-back options have also come under scrutiny. Milos Kerkez has been inconsistent since joining from AFC Bournemouth for £40m 18 months ago, while neither he nor Tsimikas has fully convinced supporters that they can replace Robertson.
Liverpool have reportedly shown interest in Juventus’ Andrea Cambiaso and Santos’ Vinicius Lira, but Murphy feels Balde could be a particularly suitable target.
“I think Liverpool will consider looking for a left-back, but it’s difficult because I don’t know Milos Kerkez personally,” the former Liverpool and England midfielder told Betarades.
“I know he works very hard, and you can see from his effort that he cares, which is already a good start. He cares about the shirt and he’s working very hard to make things happen.
“I think Balde would be a good fit for Liverpool because he’s a super talent, and he also has the experience of playing for a big club and handling that kind of expectation.
“Balde is a very good player. There are many other good players out there, and Liverpool will be scouting worldwide.”
Murphy said Liverpool may now need to move away from relying primarily on developing young players and recruit more experienced, “ready-made” options.
“I think the most important thing is to bring in someone who you don’t have to guess whether they can handle the pressure of a big club,” he added.
“Liverpool has done very well over the years in unearthing ‘rough diamonds’ – players like Coutinho, Robertson and even Sadio Mane during his Southampton days. Roberto Firmino only cost about £20m at the time.
“Liverpool unearthed those rough diamonds and polished them into superstars, but when we tried to spend big money on established stars, it didn’t work out as well.
“I still feel that sometimes, especially in defensive positions, you really need ready-made players, especially when the team is in a difficult situation.
“I think Liverpool now have enough young players who need to grow. Now there’s a reason to bring in some more mature players.”
Murphy sympathises with Kerkez but believes the Hungarian international must improve his composure and consistency to succeed at Anfield.
“He lacks composure and quality when he gets into the final third. His final pass or cross is too often not good enough,” he said.
“I think his quality sometimes suffers because he’s too fast, always playing at a hundred miles an hour. I’m a bit surprised the club hasn’t helped him more to slow down a bit and be calmer in those areas.
“If his defending were excellent, it wouldn’t be such a big problem, but he also struggles defensively. His positioning is sometimes off, and he’s a bit inconsistent when he rushes in or gets beaten.
“I watched him that year at AFC Bournemouth, and I thought he was a very good young player.
“But moving from one environment to the high-intensity, magnified world of Liverpool Football Club is different. Every game, every minute and every mistake is analysed by fans, the media and a global audience. I think that expectation and pressure might be a bit too much for him.”
