After weeks of speculation, Southampton right-back Nathaniel Clyne became the sixth new face at Liverpool this summer, as Brendan Rodgers forges ahead with a major squad overhaul.
Discussing his long-mooted move to Merseyside with the club’s official website, the 24-year-old – who arrives in a reported £12.5m deal – cited the presence of Brendan Rodgers as crucial to his decision:
“As soon as Liverpool showed their interest in me, I was happy and just wanted the deal to go through. Everything went well, so I am happy. It’s a club that I like the way they play and their style. The gaffer has shown a lot of interest in me and this is a place where I can improve as a player, I think. It’s definitely a good opportunity to come here and try and fulfil my potential. He works with young players and helps them progress. I still think there is a lot to come from me and hopefully he can bring the best out of me. He’s said he can do one-on-ones with me if it helps and do individual training sessions. I’m looking forward to it. I am going to work hard to try and get myself into the team and be the best player I can be.”
The History
Clyne joined Crystal Palace’s youth system at the age of eight, eventually making his first-team debut nine years later in a Championship tie against Barnsley. The Stockwell-born defender recorded one goal and seven assists in 122 appearances across his four seasons with the Eagles, before signing a four-year deal with Southampton in the summer of 2012.
In his first season with the newly-promoted Saints, Clyne cemented the right-back berth and went on to feature in all but four of their league fixtures that term, tallying one goal and three assists in the process. The emergence of academy product Calum Chambers in the following campaign meant that Clyne had to share the right-back duties, limiting him to 25 league outings. Despite clocking 1,157 fewer minutes in the 2013/14 season, Clyne achieved a greater assist output (five) than the year before.
Chambers’ switch to Arsenal that summer paved the way for Clyne to nail down the right-back berth once more. He sat out just three league matches all season, serving up two goals and a pair of assists in 35 appearances and his performances earned him his first senior England cap in a Euro 2016 qualifier, against Slovenia on 15 November.
The Prospects
Clyne’s prospects may well be determined by Rodgers’ tactical set-up in the season ahead. The Liverpool manager primarily employed a back four in the final stages of the season, yet fielded three centre-backs in a 3-4-2-1 set-up for the majority of the campaign. Should the Reds’ boss revert to the latter formation – with Emre Can retained in central defence – Clyne’s Fantasy prospects would be heightened due to the wing-back role affording a greater license to bomb forward, though given Rodgers’ penchant for tinkering, there’d be no surprise if he switched between the two systems throughout the campaign.
Looking at the stats, Clyne’s attacking numbers aren’t the most impressive. He managed just 22 key passes (one every 151 minutes) and 19 attempts on goal (one per 174 minutes) which goes some way to explaining why he’s mustered just three goals and eight assists throughout his 94 top-flight appearances.
Instead, his arrival will afford the Merseysiders a greater resilience at the back. The right-back attempted more tackles (148) than any other defender in the Premier League last season and registered 75 successful challenges – put into perspective, Alberto Moreno was the nearest Liverpool defender on 42.
With Jon Flanagan sidelined for the long-term, Javier Manquillo unfavoured and Glen Johnson released after his contract expired, Clyne should offer the security of starts for any Fantasy manager chasing Reds defensive coverage. Although the Merseysiders placed in the middle of the pack with regards to goal conceded (48) last season, their clean sheet haul (14) ranked fourth in the league – just one shy of Southampton’s total. Furthermore, only Chelsea (208) and Manchester City (215) conceded fewer shots inside the box than Rodgers’ men (223) and Clyne’s arrival can be expected to remedy that further.
Pitched at an initial price of 5.0 last season, Clyne looks set to enter the 5.5–6.0 bracket, pitting him against centre-back Martin Skrtel for a place in our squads. The Slovakia international came in at 6.0 in last year’s Fantasy Premier League – having netted an astonishing seven times during the 2013/14 campaign – but failed to emulate that output last term, notching just one goal in 33 outings. Nonetheless, having renewed his contract, Skrtel’s threat from set-pieces and ability to pick up bonus points (he earned 25 last term, more than any other defender) arguably makes him the man most likely in Rodgers’ backline.
Liverpool’s opening fixtures are something of a mixed bag, though, with trips to Stoke, Arsenal and United in the first five perhaps proving enough of a deterrent, despite the fact that the Reds ranked joint-top with regards to shut-outs on the road (eight) last season. The Merseysiders do, however, have four excellent home clashes (BOU, WHM, NOR, AVL) which could well bring in the points, though with a raft of changes throughout the side, Rodgers may well need time to instil a little cohesion before they find their stride.
Further Reference
Nathaniel Clyne Wikipedia Page
