Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers added to his defensive options earlier this week by acquiring Valencia’s Aly Cissokho on a season-long loan. The 25-year-old’s arrival ends the Reds’ summer-long search for a new left-back, with the Frenchman following Iago Aspas, Kolo Toure, Simon Mignolet and Luis Alberto to the club as Rodgers bolsters his first-team squad.
In an interview with Liverpool’s official website, Cissokho spoke of his determination to nail down a regular role on Merseyside:
“I feel extremely proud to be here and I’m proud of all the hard work I’ve put in so far throughout my career. I’ve always dreamt of one day signing for a really legendary club. I’ve been lucky enough to play for a few top sides and so to now get the chance to play for a club like Liverpool, it’s just fantastic. I hope to feature in as many games as possible. I know it’s going to be quite tough and I need to get to work as soon as possible as pre-season is over and we are into the league programme.”
The History
A product of the Gueugnon youth system in his native country, Cissokho’s career kicked off back in 2007. Having appeared 22 times for the club, he was sold to Portuguese outfit Vitória Setúbal FC after Gueugnon finished bottom of Ligue 1 at the end of the 2007-08 campaign.
After a mere 13 appearances for his new club, Cissokho’s impressive displays saw him snapped up by FC Porto in January 2009. His time there was just as brief, though; the left-back was afforded 15 games, helping his side to a league and cup double, before AC Milan came calling in the summer of 2009. Having announced the deal on their website, the Italians then cancelled the deal after the defender infamously failed a medical – Cissokho returned to his native country instead after Lyon agreed to match Milan’s previous bid and pay €15m for his services.
Finally settled, Cissokho nailed down the left-back role for the Ligue 1 club and made 91 appearances over the course of three seasons but, despite his marauding runs down the flank, produced only one goal and four assists before he was purchased by Valencia last summer. Cissokho failed to establish himself as an automatic pick for the La Liga side – he started just 18 league games (with a further seven off th bench) and registered two goals and a pair of assists. On the international stage, he has not been able to find a way past Patrice Evra and Gael Clichy in the pecking order and has subsequently turned out just once for his country, in a friendly against Norway in 2010.
The Prospects
Although it’s yet to be established whether Cissokho has been acquired as a first-choice prospect or merely gives Rodgers an experienced back-up option to Jose Enrique, the mere fact that any question marks now hang over the left-back berth will surely be enough to deter any would-be suitors from either player at the moment.
Coming in at 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Enrique is certainly a little too pricey to invest in with a degree of doubt against his game time. With the similarly-priced Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger nailed-on at right-back and centre-half respectively, and new boys Simon Mignolet and Kolo Toure easier on the budget, the Spaniard’s appeal has been significantly dented due to Cissokho’s arrival.
Given that Toure is as low as 5.0, though, many will be targeting the Ivorian if Rodgers fails to add to his central defensive options by the time the summer transfer window closes, though Cissokho (6.2 in Sky Sports) could find himself on Fantasy radars if he is listed at a similar cost to Toure in FPL. It may well be that Rodgers keeps faith in Enrique to begin with, though the Spaniard’s propensity for picking up niggling injuries could afford Cissokho a window of opportunity – from a Liverpool point of view, it also means Johnson wouldn’t have to shift over to the left to cover; a situation that unfolded last term.
With a trip to Villa and Swansea in addition to a home clash against United in the next three, immediate investment in the Reds’ backline won’t be a priority for many but from Gameweek 5 onwards, there looks plenty opportunity to rack up defensive returns. With six enticing home fixtures (SOT, CPL, WBA, FUL, NOR, WHM) allied with visits to the likes of Sunderland, Newcastle and Hull in the subsequent 11 Gameweeks, Rodgers’ side will be confident of mirrororing the resilience that racked up 16 clean sheets last time out.
For Cissokho, it’s a case of “wait and see” – Fantasy managers will initially turn to more secure options but if he’s kindly priced and turns out to be Enrique’s replacement, the Frenchman could be one to consider.
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