Who is Lutsharel Geertruida? The versatile Liverpool target tipped to follow Arne Slot to Anfield
Lutsharel-Geertruida-Arne-Slot
Liverpool are being heavily linked with a move for Feyenoord star Lutsharel Geertruida and we’ve gathered everything you need to know about the 23-year-old.
With Michael Edwards back in charge of football operations at Anfield, a big shake-up is expected within the squad, with several incomings and outgoings being rumoured.
As Arne Slot looks like the man to replace Jurgen Klopp in the Liverpool hot seat, the recent links to Geertruida don’t come as a huge surprise.
We’ve taken a closer look at the Feyenoord star and have assessed how he would fit into the Liverpool XI next season.
Who is Geertruida?
Born in Rotterdam, the versatile Dutch international has spent his entire professional career at Feyenoord up until this point. He made his professional debut in 2017/18 and is now just four appearances shy of playing 200 games for the Eredivisie side.
Predominately a right back, one of Geertruida’s greatest strengths is how versatile he is. Standing at 6’1″, he’s also comfortable playing at centre-half, left-back or even in holding midfield.
During the 2023/24 campaign, he’s played 70% of his games as a right back, 25% at centre half and the remaining matches as a left back.
When looking closer at his profile, it’s easy to see why a club like Liverpool would be interested. Along with some solid defensive numbers, he also offers a great attacking threat.
In the Eredivisie alone, he’s chipped in with 12 goal contributions this season with seven goals and five assists to his name.
Of the goals that he’s scored, three of them have come from open play and the remaining four have been scored from set-piece situations.
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What’s been said about Liverpool’s interest?
The links to Geertruida first emerged last month when he was spotted at Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with West Ham at the London Stadium – shortly after the Reds had agreed a compensation package for Slot.
Slot clearly rates the Dutch star and as of writing, it seems like a real possibility that Liverpool could land a deal for the defender in the upcoming window.
Journalist Dean Jones recently provided an update on the Liverpool target and provided some extra insight on the 23-year-old.
“The fact he was at Liverpool’s game with West Ham has obviously got tongues wagging, and it is easy to connect the dots to suggest he could be moving to Liverpool by following Slot,” Jones told Give Me Sport.
“At this stage, that would be jumping ahead about four steps because I think he was at the game on his own time, but people I’ve spoken to in the Netherlands say it would not be a surprise if he was pushing for a move like that because he is very ambitious.
“One of the good things about him as a defender is his versatility, and one of the promising things about him as a transfer target would be that he does not hold huge value in the market.”
Is Geertruida ready for Premier League football?
The step up from the Eredivisie to the Premier League can be steep, but the likes of Cody Gakpo and Lisandro Martinez have been able to make the step up in recent years.
Given how physical the Premier League can be, this is sometimes a stumbling block for incoming players who are new to the league.
However, Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan thinks that Geertruida has the attributes to be a success in the Premier League.
“I think the chance that Geertruida will go there is greater than fifty per cent,” Van der Kraan told De Telegraaf.
“He’s on the radar and has done a fantastic job in the Dutch national team and in the Champions League, he’s a guy who is the best fit for the Premier League physically of all Feyenoord players.
“I don’t have any doubts about Geertruida, I’ve seen him play so much.”
How much would Geertruida cost Liverpool?
According to Jones, the Feyenoord star could be available for around £25m this summer. His Transfermarkt value currently sits at £27.4m, so that sort of figure seems like the ballpark number that could get a deal over the line.
Considering his age and impressive profile, that sort of transfer fee seems like decent value from the outside looking in.
His current deal with Feyenoord is valid until the summer of 2025, meaning that the upcoming window could be their final chance to cash in on the 23-year-old.
Who else is interested in Geertruida?
Liverpool are the latest club to be credited with interest in Geertruida, but they certainly aren’t the first side to sniff around the Feyenoord defender.
As confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, RB Leipzig submitted an official bid last summer, but they were ultimately unsuccessful in their approach.
The offer submitted by the Bundesliga outfit was believed to be around €30m (£25.7m), but Feyenoord ultimately rebuffed that offer at the time.
Along with RB Leipzig, Barcelona were also said to be keeping tabs on the 23-year-old at the time, but they never submitted an official proposal.
The Feyenoord star has also been linked with Tottenham after he was reportedly in the stands to watch Spurs play Arsenal in the recent North London derby.
Liverpool hero gives Geertruida his seal of approval
Prior to the Reds being linked with the Feyenoord star, former Liverpool winger Dirk Kuyt namedropped the versatile star as someone that the club should be looking to sign.
“We have a lot of talented players,” Kuyt told BettingSites last year. “Normally, in Holland, the majority of players coming to the Premier League come from Ajax.
“However, my team Feyenoord are doing quite well lately. They managed to win the league last season. They’re also doing very well this season, however, we shouldn’t underestimate PSV.
“These two teams have a lot of talent. As far as Feyenoord are concerned, there’s [Lutsharel] Geertruida – he’s just like me back in the day! He’s a very talented player, and I think he’ll definitely make the step to a big team in Europe next season.”
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