A left-footed central defender is Anderlecht's priority this winter. Olivier Renard and David Hubert have already addressed the issue, but it is now clear that this will be a costly operation.
At Neerpede they came to a conclusion: the construction of the play from the back needs to be improved. Jan Vertonghen would normally have taken on this responsibility, but it is still unclear when he will be back.
Coosemans, the best defensive footballer
In the meantime, Anderlecht is hanging around a bit. The club does not have the best players in defense. Zanka thinks he can fill this role, but he slows the game down and makes few forward passes. Jan-Carlo Simic is still in the development phase. The 19-year-old Serbian was trained as a pure defender, a bulldozer.
This is why he is very popular, but he was never really taught how to break through the opponent's lines. We are working hard to improve this aspect, but it is not up to him to set the lines. This was never expected of him, even this season.
The player with the best technical qualities in defense is Colin Coosemans. Timmy Simons even compared him to Franz Beckenbauer because of his passing skills. However, he also cannot be expected to consistently take charge of building the game from the back.
Many requirements, but choices will have to be made
Thus, the new defender must have above-average technical qualities and show character with the ball. Add to that the requirement that he be left-handed – a profile sought after by many – and you get an expensive operation. If it also needs to be relatively young and offer future resale value, the investment will be even greater.
Olivier Renard has already identified the right profiles, but so far, all of them are too expensive. Of course, the transfer market isn't fully open yet, but it's clear they won't do a bargain. It's also about investing in the future, because normally this season will be Vertonghen's last.
A need for stronger “bodies”
At Anderlecht, we also know that they need more “bodies”. Against teams like Genk, Club Brugge or Union, they suffer physically. Size and strength would therefore be more than appreciated. But there are already many criteria to meet. Choices will therefore have to be made.
Regardless, it is unthinkable not to recruit an additional defender in January. This will be a first big test for sporting director Renard, who will certainly be closely scrutinized during his first months.
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