Arne Slot is a big fan of £21m Bologna defender and Liverpool fans should watch him closely tonight - opinion
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Liverpool take on Bologna in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday as they look to make it two wins out of two in the competition.
The Reds beat AC Milan on matchday one and face Italian opposition again, this time on home turf.
But while Liverpool will rightly be big favourites to take the three points at Anfield, they should be wary of what Bologna can offer.
The Rossoblu had a fantastic season under Thiago Motta last time out and although Motta has since left for Juventus, they have many of the same players.
Players such as Thijs Dalinga should be well known to Liverpool. Dalinga scored home and away against the Reds for Toulouse in the Europa League last season.
Another player who will be very familiar to Arne Slot at least, is centre-back Sam Beukema. As it turns out, Slot tried to sign Beukema for Feyenoord in 2021. As Bologna come to town, that should be enough to pique Liverpool supporters’ interest.
Arne Slot tried to sign Sam Beukema
During his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Slot was questioned about his interest in Beukema during the Dutch defender’s time in the Eredivisie.
“I was interested, the club I worked for – that included me – was interested in signing him,” said the Liverpool head coach.
“He had a real good season with the club he [got] promoted with. We were looking for a centre-back and we saw a lot of potential in him. Unfortunately for us, he made the choice to go to a different club.”
Taking up the story, The Athletic carry some quotes from Beukema on Slot’s interest in him. What the 25-year-old says suggests that the then Feyenoord boss was very familiar with his game and was very impressed.
READ MORE: Liverpool’s predicted XI vs Bologna as Arne Slot drops ‘unprofessional’ player‘
“There were a couple of eye-openers where I was like: 'Woah, I've never thought about the game like that before',” says Beukema.
“He said: 'In the build-up you're very good but when it's unpredictable in the midfield and you go to intercept the ball at that age you sometimes lose control'. I was like: 'You're right. I've never thought about that before'."
With Slot now given an up-close chance to see if Beukema has taken his advice onboard and with Liverpool in the market for a centre-back, this could be something of an audition for the defender.
Sam Beukema gets chance to audition for dream move
As Beukema turns 26 in November, there may be a slight feeling that he is slightly too old for what Liverpool would want in a new centre-back.
The Reds have been linked with Vitor Reis, the 18-year-old prodigy from Palmeiras, and perhaps it’s more that kind of talent they should be targeting.
More over, they could look to sign a player somewhere in between Beukema and Reis who could develop into a top centre-half.
On the other hand, Liverpool may need to sign two new defenders next summer. If Joe Gomez decides he does want more first-team football, the Reds will need a replacement fourth choice as well as an immediate or future replacement for Virgil van Dijk.
Do well at Anfield on Wednesday and perhaps a feeling will grow that Beukema could be that man. The Bologna star has had top level interest before, with FC Inter News claiming that Inter were exploring a £21m move for him this summer.
But Beukema says he idolises Van Dijk and wants to play alongside the Liverpool captain one day. If he puts in a top display against his countryman, maybe Slot will come calling again.
