Dean Huijsen: Liverpool mistake will haunt Real Madrid’s new signing

Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen has already signed his future to Real Madrid, but the Spain international defender would have been better off staying in the Premier League.

Huijsen has committed to a five-year contract at the Bernabeu, with the deal already signed, according to The Athletic.

Real Madrid will pay €60 million (£50m) to trigger the player’s release clause with the Cherries, beating the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea to the 20-year-old.

The lure of playing for the world’s biggest club is clearly a massive draw for Huijsen, but according to data analytics experts SciSports, the young defender would have been better moving to one of his Premier League options – and particularly Liverpool.

For a period, the Reds seemed to be leading the chase for the player, only for Real Madrid to accelerate and snatch him away.

Liverpool before Real Madrid

Huijsen would fit like a glove at Liverpool, according to SciSports, whose Career Advice tool suggests a switch to Anfield would have been an excellent choice for the €50m-rated player.

The Reds get a Club Fit score for Huijsen of 81. This is based around factors such as development, game time, style and formation. Anything over 80 is an exceptional score.

Arne Slot’s side score well across the board for the Netherlands-born star. Although they only notched up three stars in playing time, with Virgil van Dijk entering the final years of his career and Ibrahima Konate’s future uncertain, he would have been a dream succession plan to become the eventual leader of the Liverpool defence.

Contrast this to Real Madrid.

Los Blancos only earn a Club Fit score of 69, which is certainly not terrible but is not nearly as strong as that of Liverpool.

To some extent, the three stars the Spaniards get in terms of playing style can be discounted because Xabi Alonso will replace Carlo Ancelotti in the summer. But there’s a sting here. Bayer Leverkusen’s style and formation only earn one star each. If Alonso is to get the best from Huijsen, one of both will have to make a major tactical adaptation.

Real Madrid might have their man, but there’s strong evidence to suggest that Huijsen should have picked Liverpool instead.

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