Who is Yisa Alao? As Liverpool make massive offer

Yisa Alao is on Liverpool's radar with the club having made an offer to sign the Sheffield Wednesday left-back, but just who is he an what kind of play could the Reds be signing?

The youngster only turned 17-years-old last month, but he's already made his debut for the senior team back in August in the EFL Cup.

Since then he has also debuted in the Championship earlier this month, becoming the second youngest player to make an appearance in England's second tier this season, coming on against Derby County at just 17 years and 28 days old.

Alao is only a first-year scholar so he's technically still an U18 but he's been regularly playing for Wednesday's U21 side.

Now the Sheffield Star has reported that Liverpool have made a 'mid-level six-figure region' offer to Wednesday in order to sign the youngster.

The Reds are not the only ones interested. Alao is also on the radar of Manchester United who have also made a similar offer.

Wednesday are in a dire situation having been deducted points and currently sitting at the bottom of the Championship. They are in a financial crisis, which means this kind of money could still be massive for their survival, and that gives Liverpool an opportunity to swoop in.

Alao could be an exciting signing. Especially because he plays in a position where Liverpool are very short of depth.

What kind of player is Alao?

So, Alao has played most of his games as a left-back for Sheffield Wednesday at youth level.

He's not necessarily a flying full-back but more of a defensive minded player who likes to involve himself in the build-up and pick up positions in a deeper area.

This is a role Milos Kerkez was asked to play earlier on in the season, although the Hungarian is a much different type of profile.

Alao doesn't overlap as often as Kerkez but he's still a decent ball carrier. He has completed 72% of his 1.71 dribbles per 90 minutes for Wednesday at youth and senior level.

Alao prefers to release the ball quicker and try to make an impact on the game with long switches and forward passes. Sometimes, his decision making does need to get better. He often goes long when there's alternative solutions that could be more optimal.

But there are also elements of his play that are very Kerkez-like. He's an excellent defender in one vs one situations, he wins 69.5% of his 9.14 defensive duels. He's the type of player, like Kerkez, who isn't afraid to put his body on the line.

Not the tallest at 1.80 metres, Alao is very good at winning aerial duels (62.3% from 4.7 aerial duels per 90) using his body and timing his jumps to perfection.

Overall, he's a really exciting young player and Liverpool's interest makes sense.

Kostas Tsimikas will likely leave the club. Andy Robertson's contract expires at the end of the season, and at U21 level Owen Beck and Luke Chambers will probably move on to permanent or loan spells.

At U18 level, because of the injury to the very talented Cam Williams, Liverpool have been forced to play midfielder Alvin Ayman in the position.

So, there aren't even many young left-backs who could come in and be a back-up to Kerkez if Robertson leaves.

That's likely why Alao is being pursued right now. And it's one to keep a close eye on during the January window.

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