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As Liverpool close in on the signing of Nathaniel Clyne from Southampton after agreeing a £12.5m deal – that will see him join on a five-year deal – our writer at the Sports Lowdown assesses the impact that Clyne can make at Anfield and whether or not he is a suitable replacement for the recently released Glen Johnson. Can he fill the void that has been left by the former England right back?
An overview on Clyne:
Nathaniel Clyne is a 24-year-old right-back who has recently broke into the England first-team after a string of impressive performances for Southampton in the Premier League. Clyne’s been on the radar of many of England’s top clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, over the past season but it is Liverpool who appear to have been successful in capturing his signature.
Clyne started out his career at Crystal Palace and in the 2010-11 season, he played every single game in Crystal Palace’s Championship campaign – being the youngest player ever to do so – And, he also managed to pick up the Crystal Palace Player of the Year award in 2011. Amid interest from other clubs in the summer of 2012, Clyne joined Southampton on a free transfer. Since then, he’s improved a lot as a footballer.
What type of player is Clyne?:
Clyne’s a very forward thinking but disciplined full-back, he does like to adventure forward on the attack, however limits himself so he doesn’t leave the left-hand flank exposed for opposition teams to exploit. Clyne is only small, standing at 5ft9in and therefore won’t be winning many aerial duels, however he’s a very speedy and agile defender with superb dribbling ability.
Clyne doesn’t shy out of tackle either and isn’t very reckless or careless on the ball. It has been reflected in his performances for Southampton last season, earning himself many plaudits amongst opposition fans and pundits. Southampton boasted the second best defence in the Premier League behind champions Chelsea, which is an impressive feat, especially considering they lost Dejan Lovren and Luke Shaw in the summer window.
Although great defensively, he’s also a very good full-back going forward. Clyne’s pace will allow him to run freely up and down the flanks, looking to get in on the overlap. He’s not a great contributor when it comes to scoring goals but he’s a full-back so he’s not expected to as much. Ironically, one of the two Premier League goals he scored last campaign came against his new team, Liverpool, on the opening day of the season.
What impact will he make?:
A large one I suspect. He’s going to be Glen Johnson’s replacement and as Johnson has been disappointing in the past two seasons for Liverpool, they won’t miss him. Being a now established English international, he will immediately be placed into the first-team and given the task of being Liverpool’s long-term right-back.
Clyne will add to a Liverpool defence that was lacking threat down the right-hand side. And his defensive ability is well-needed at Anfield with the Reds yet again having a poor defensive record, leaking 48 goals, including six on the final day against Stoke City, who they will also be playing on the opening day of the 2015/16 season.
Clyne will be Liverpool’s sixth summer signing and one of the best of the bunch for the price paid. His ability going forward along with Moreno on the opposite side could form a formidable attack for Liverpool.
