Former Liverpool striker Noel Whelan has tipped the Premier League champions to sign Issa Diop before the January transfer window slams shut.

In an interview with Football Insider, former Liverpool striker Noel Whelan has suggested that the Reds could enter the market to sign Issa Diop before the January transfer window slams shut. The French centre-back is reportedly free to leave West Ham United on loan this month.

Liverpool’s central defensive woes have been well documented ever since Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez became sidelined with potentially season-ending knee injuries in quick succession. Since then, Jurgen Klopp has successfully converted Fabinho into a centre-back, but has not been helped by Joel Matip’s own injury woes.

With the Cameroonian in and out of the side due to fitness issues, the Liverpool manager has had to rely on captain Jordan Henderson to play as a makeshift centre-back every now and then, with the experiment largely failing bar the recent Premier League game against Manchester United.

Youngsters Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips have hardly been tested by Klopp, whose decision was vindicated this past Sunday, as Williams produced a disastrous performance in the FA Cup against Manchester United. As a result, it goes without saying that Liverpool ought to delve into the transfer market to sign a centre-back before the January transfer window slams shut.

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So far, however, the Premier League champions have chosen not to sign anyone despite being linked with a number of central defenders, including Ibrahima Konate. There have been claims that Liverpool are prepared to brave it out and wait till the summer to bolster their defence.

The Reds have now been tipped to sign Issa Diop before the end of the transfer window by former striker Noel Whelan. The 24-year-old Frenchman is currently out of favour at West Ham United, who are reportedly prepared to loan him out this month.

Speaking to Football Insider, the ex-Liverpool striker said, “I’m sure there’d be clubs like Liverpool looking at him. We’ve already seen (Fikayo) Tomori looking to get away from Chelsea he’s already left for AC Milan and Diop’s another player that is a big name, a big player and if he gets the right club, he could be very important to them.”

“Look at Liverpool, they looked very, very average against Burnley on Thursday night, there’s no doubt about that, there’s a lot of players out of form right now for Liverpool. That backline is always been a little bit makeshift, especially with centre-halves.”

Diop was once quite highly rated within the Premier League, but has lost his place as a regular in the West Ham defence this season, with David Moyes preferring the likes of Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna and Fabian Balbuena over him. With the 24-year-old hardly impressing lately, he might end up being a risky signing for Liverpool, although he would add to Klopp’s options. It remains to be seen if Liverpool do make a move for Diop.

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