The £21m ideal signing Liverpool should already be keeping one eye on ahead of January transfer window

That’s a wrap for what has been one of the most unexpected and chaotic summer transfer windows in recent years. Deadline Day did not disappoint when it came to delivering the last-minute action and Liverpool were one of the clubs who netted themselves a signing in the late hours.

After flailing around on the market to plug the gaps left from their midfield exodus, Jurgen Klopp and co managed to bring in long-standing target Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich. The 21-year-old marked the fourth and final new recruit of the summer, following fellow midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Wataru Endō over the threshold to pad out the depleted roster.

It had been widely reported that Liverpool were also on the market for some extra options in defence but due to the manic nature of their midfield crisis, all the club’s focus was on replacing the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. After their departure, Klopp was left with just four midfielders, and only one of them was over the age of 22.

Overall, it was quite the scramble, especially when you factor in Liverpool’s blunder of the year that they are probably doing their best to forget about. The Reds attempted to pull off the hijack of the summer by swooping in with a £111 million bid for Chelsea target Moisés Caicedo. But not only did the player reject them and stick with Chelsea anyway, Roméo Lavia also opted to join the Blues, despite ongoing talks with Liverpool.

Fortunately, the window has closed until January and Klopp and his team can take their foot off the gas for a little while. But it won’t be long before the January rumour mill starts to churn out exciting new links and hopefully by then, Liverpool will be in a better position to tighten up some other areas as well.

3 Added Minutes has identified one player who we believe would be a smart signing for the Reds in the next transfer window — Lutsharel Geertruida.

Who is Lutsharel Geertruida?

Geertruida is a right-back currently at Feyenoord, and at just 23 years of age, he still has plenty of time for a manager like Klopp to unearth his full potential.

In the midst of all the midfield panic, it went a little under the radar that Liverpool only have one natural right-back in their senior squad right now. Newly appointed vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold is their first and only choice, save for Joe Gomez who is a central defender on paper. Liverpool did sign Calvin Ramsay last summer, but after making just two senior appearances, the right-back joined Preston North End on loan this window.

Alexander-Arnold has also been experimenting with a new midfield role, particularly while on international duty with England. If this becomes a permanent move for the Scouser, Klopp will need to seriously think about bringing in new personnel to fill the gap in defence.

Geertruida, who made his Netherlands debut earlier this year, has never left his home country during his footballing career. His contract with Feynoord is due to expire in 2025, meaning if he was considering a new chapter, now is the ideal time for both him and the club. Plus, the Premier League is always a very attractive destination and Liverpool are undoubtedly an attractive club to play for. If they can keep building on their momentum so far this season, their lure will only continue to grow.

Would Lutsharel Geertruida fit in at Liverpool?

Klopp was said to be looking for a new centre-back option during the summer, and while Geertruida is a right-back by trade, his versatility is what makes him a very fitting option for Liverpool. The Dutchman can operate in either central defensive positions and he has also proven himself in the No.6 role as well.

The main aim of the summer window was to find a replacement for Fabinho, so any player who can slot into the defensive midfield role is an immediate boost. Geertruida played in all of these positions last season and even contributed three goals and three assists along the way. So far this campaign, he has played at right-back on three occasions and centre-back twice, with maximum minutes under his belt.

Geertruida captained Feyenoord on two occasions this season already and is off the mark with a goal in the Eredivisie. His main strength, as highlighted by Sofascore, is his ground duels but his overall ability is also worth looking at.

Comparing Geertruida’s stats last season to Alexander-Arnold via WhoScored, the Dutch star averaged an impressive 90.6 percent passing accuracy per 90 minutes, compared to Trent’s 78.7 percent. In terms of defence, the two returned very similar numbers throughout their respective campaigns. Geertruida tackles (1.6) and clearances (1.5) per 90 just snubbed Alexander-Arnold’s respective 1.5 and 1, while the Liverpool vice-skipper’s 1.2 interception average was slightly ahead of his counterpart’s 1.

Alexander-Arnold’s attacking numbers were considerably higher than Geertruida’s, but that just builds towards the case of Klopp potentially shifting him into midfield full-time and bringing a new face in at right-back.

Even if things stay the same at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold needs back-up and right now is the perfect example as he is currently out injured. But not only would Geertruida provide coverage at right-back, he can slot into numerous roles with ease and his experience of wearing the armband already will also add natural leadership to any position he plays in.

According to Transfermarkt, the Dutch defender is valued at just €25 million (£21m), and while it’s highly likely Feyenoord would demand much higher than that for a potential sale, Liverpool have shown they are no longer money shy, and will splash out where it is necessary.