David Hancko

OmarUnited4ever said:
is he any good? know nothing about him
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Yes he is very good. Best defender in the Eredivisie last season. Very steady on the ball, great positioning, he is fairly agile. Was one of the top defenders in the Euros for Slovakia and has been utter class for my team in the Netherlands.
 
This lad must be the Todibo back up. I imagine he is going to be in a similar price range as well.

KirkDuyt said:
He's probably the most important player of Slot's tenure at Feyenoord and our best defender since John de Wolf.

Performance levels though, ooph. Ajax did a 6-0-0 in the CL group with Martinez I think. We aren't THAT good, though if all of our team were as good as Hancko we might have.

He's a also very different player. He's extremely composed and relaxed and reads the game well as opposed to being an extremely tenacious tackler like Martinez.

Let's say they're both clearly too good for the Eredivisie. I also don't doubt he will adept to the premier league level.

Oh, Hancko is taller and as far as I know never injured.
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Sounds like Rio the more I read about him. Pace to burn, good on the ball, can pick a pass. We might even have our Rio-Vidic partnership regen in Martinez and this fell.
 
ArmaDino said:
This lad must be the Todibo back up. I imagine he is going to be in a similar price range as well.


Sounds like Rio the more I read about him. Pace to burn, good on the ball, can pick a pass. We might even have our Rio-Vidic partnership regen in Martinez and this fell.
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Are they not both left cbs?
 
I really like this player. His ability on the ball is elite for a defender. I want us to sign a player who can cover both LB and LCB.

My view is that Amass is clearly the next player who is on track to breakthrough, and Shaw is likely to start when fit. But we know Amass still has some development before his role in the squad grows, and Shaw has injury problems consistently. We also need to have backup for Martinez who can help maintain our style in case he is injured or being rested.

So with all that to be considered, a player like Hancko will probably play 30-35 games for us across all competitions. In the case of injury that number could easily approach 50 games.

A deal around 25-30 million would be amazing, but Feyenoord could expect closer to 35m.
 
Bojan Djordjic said:
Are they not both left cbs?
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You're correct.

De Ligt seems to be the Todibo alternative and Hancko is probably seen as the Branthwaite alternative, but I must stress that I'm not sure if Branthwaite can play the LCB/LB role as well as Hancko who looks a very capable player in that regard and has the potential to provide a high level of tactical flexibility due to him being a rotation option for both Martinez and Shaw at LCB and LB.

I think the move that makes sense here from a football perspective is for us is to sign Hancko and the money saved on wages and transfer fee could possibly help us sign a midfielder who has the potential to aid our build up play rather than being overly reliant on the backline and Mainoo.
 
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Adnan said:
You're correct.

De Ligt seems to be the Todibo alternative and Hancko is probably seen as the Branthwaite alternative, but I must stress that I'm not sure if Branthwaite can play the LCB/LB role as well as Hancko who looks a very capable player in that regard and has the potential to provide a high level of tactical flexibility due to him being a rotation option for both Martinez and Shaw at LCB and LB.

I think the move that makes sense here from a football perspective is for us is to sign Hancko and the money saved on wages and transfer fee could possibly help us sign a midfielder who has the potential to aid our build up play rather than relying on the backline and Mainoo.
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Yeah it does seem like we're after a LCB/LB hybrid. I wonder if we might experiment with a 3-5-2 next season?

It seems like De Ligt will be the RCB, and they want a LCB/LB. I think Yoro is one of those unique opportunities in the market and theres a player with world class potential who could be bought for a decent fee. Sometimes you just need to pull the trigger and figure out the rest later.

Im now expecting Lindelof and Maguire to both depart.
 
Putting all banter aside said:
Yes he is very good. Best defender in the Eredivisie last season. Very steady on the ball, great positioning, he is fairly agile. Was one of the top defenders in the Euros for Slovakia and has been utter class for my team in the Netherlands.
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Redivy said:
Yeah it does seem like we're after a LCB/LB hybrid. I wonder if we might experiment with a 3-5-2 next season?

It seems like De Ligt will be the RCB, and they want a LCB/LB. I think Yoro is one of those unique opportunities in the market and theres a player with world class potential who could be bought for a decent fee. Sometimes you just need to pull the trigger and figure out the rest later.

Im now expecting Lindelof and Maguire to both depart.
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I think signing a player who can cover at both LCB and LB is the way to go. I mentioned Calafiori as someone who fits the bill in that regard earlier in the year, when the hype hadn't taken hold. But Hancko again is another opportunity for that type of player and I don't believe he'd cost as much as what Calafiori will be sold for.

Branthwaite I don't believe can play that role to a high enough level and moving Martinez to LB weakens our build up capability because Branthwaite isn't on the same level in-possession. I don't see what the sense is in signing Branthwaite for the money it will take to prise him away from Everton, unless we switch to a 3 at the back.
 
Feck Everton and their greed. Bring this Slovak monster to United, and LET's GO!
 
Adnan said:
I think signing a player who can cover at both LCB and LB is the way to go. I mentioned Calafiori as someone who fits the bill in that regard earlier in the year, when the hype hadn't taken hold. But Hancko again is another opportunity for that type of player and I don't believe he'd cost as much as what Calafiori will be sold for.

Branthwaite I don't believe can play that role to a high enough level and moving Martinez to LB weakens our build up capability because Branthwaite isn't on the same level in-possession. I don't see what the sense is in signing Branthwaite for the money it will take to prise him away from Everton, unless we switch to a 3 at the back.
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I think most of the attraction with Branthwaite is what he'll be in 2 or 3 years time. I think Hancko and most of the other targets we seem to be looking at will be better today. Maybe they're riskier in terms of settling in the league but they're more obvious fits in terms of squad make up. You can see both Brantwaite and Martinez doing a job at left back but it looks an awkward fit for both and a temporary solution. Even doing a job i expect it to be a case by case basis where they struggle against certain kinds of wingers or set ups and so bad injury cover where you have to use them against everyone
Theres probably a risk that we've been spoiled by Maguire, Varane and Smalling over the years and the aerial presence they've provided will be sorely missed but its just such a steep, steep price. I guess you dont really care how much they cost if they're great and work out. Maybe you splash out on your top target.
These kind of deals look much more attractive to me personally. But then i dont really know this guy or Inacio or the other names that have popped up.
 
Maybe this is more likely now after the recent news regarding Yoro and Branthwaite?
 
Rumours of United being interested again in Dutch media as United feel Malacia isnt reliable due to injuries. Obviously biast as I fecking love Hancko, but he would be an excellent signing. Equally comfortable on LB and CB and much better than Malacia.
 
KirkDuyt said:
Rumours of United being interested again in Dutch media as United feel Malacia isnt reliable due to injuries. Obviously biast as I fecking love Hancko, but he would be an excellent signing. Equally comfortable on LB and CB and much better than Malacia.
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Any inkling on the price he'd go for?
 
Anfield Index did a write-up on him in January as Liverpool (and also PSG) were linked with him:

Hancko turned 26-years-old just over a month ago. He is a little bit of on the older side in terms of the profile Liverpool normally target. However, the centre-back position is one of the few areas on the pitch where players can often play at a high-level for longer.

In terms of his overall build, Hancko is rather tall at 1.88 metres, and he’s got the speed and the strength to be able to step up into a more demanding league like the Premier League.

Over the last year and a half, he has dominated attackers in the Eredivisie, and has been a key part of Slovakia’s squad en route to Euro 2024 qualifying.

Last season Hancko had the best defensive duel success rate out of any centre-back in the Eredivisie. This season has been no exception – once again he is top for the metric winning 80.6% of his defensive duels as per Wyscout. The fact that he is topping the charts in this key defensive metric two years in a row speaks volumes of his consistency, but it’s also a marker that he’s outgrown the Eredivisie.
On top of his defensive ability, Hancko is also accomplished on the ball. He is part of a team in Feyenoord who keep a lot of possession, and Hancko uses the ball effectively.

He averages the most passes per 90 out of defenders in the league (82.8) and completes a hugely impressive 90.78% of them. On top of that, he also averages the third most forward passes per 90 (27.37). And he’s quite good at getting the ball into dangerous areas on the pitch – averaging 1.51 passes into the opposition’s penalty area per 90.

Being productive on the ball is a key role for a centre-back at Liverpool. Often teams will drop deep against Liverpool, which puts the onus on the centre-backs to create space in possession. The fact that Hancko has this experience at Feyenoord is a bonus.

Of course, when you bring someone in from the Eredivisie to the Premier League there are risks that come with it. There is no denying there is a huge leap between the two divisions, and Hancko is far from a complete or finished article.

Sometimes he can dwell on the ball a little too long. He averages a high volume of dribbles per 90 (1.24) but his success rate is only 52.17% which is quite low. In the Premier League, he won’t have as much time on the ball and this could leave him even more vulnerable.

On top of that defensively, last season Hancko won 70.13% of his aerial duels – this was the best in the league among his positional rivals. However, this season he is only averaging a 52.73% success rate – which is a significant drop off. Over the course of his career, he’s averaged a 58.6% success rate overall – a little lower than a typical Liverpool centre-back.

Hancko is quick, and he is left-footed which makes him a rare commodity as a centre-back.

On top of that, he’s got a pretty spotless recent injury record – he hasn’t been injured in almost two years now – despite playing a lot of games for club and country in that time.

And to top it all off, he’s got plenty of experience playing as a left-back as well. He often plays in that position for the Slovakian national team, and previously played there a lot at club level for Sparta Prague and Zilina as well. Occasionally, he’s even been asked to play there for Feyenoord.

Someone with that much experience at left-back ticks yet another box for Klopp. He loves versatile players, and with Alexander-Arnold having made the inverted full-back his role recently – Hancko could be used in the left-back position to give Liverpool the option to go with a back three when Alexander-Arnold is on the ball.
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I have absolutely no idea how good he is. But the profile of player they describe would be an obvious benefit to the squad as (like Shaw) he could cover both LCB and LB.
 
sullydnl said:
Anfield Index did a write-up on him in January as Liverpool (and also PSG) were linked with him:



I have absolutely no idea how good he is. But the profile of player they describe would be an obvious benefit to the squad as (like Shaw) he could cover both LCB and LB.
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He’s in my opinion well above Eredivise standard and an excellent CB/LB.

Personally one of my preferred signings in terms of what he currently offers and the tactical flexibility it would afford us.

If reports in the Netherlands are to be believed then we’re looking at no more than €40m ~ £33.59m so I’d imagine we could wrap it up around €35m or lower but with add ons.

Mats Weiffer going for £25m I expect has set the bench mark.
 
KirkDuyt said:
Rumours of United being interested again in Dutch media as United feel Malacia isnt reliable due to injuries. Obviously biast as I fecking love Hancko, but he would be an excellent signing. Equally comfortable on LB and CB and much better than Malacia.
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Are your media reliable? Or BS merchants?
 
OleGunnar20 said:
Great - would you like Malacia back while we're at it? And if so, do you know where we could find him?
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Nah, the kid from our academy that replaced him, Hartman, is much better. Though he's out till 2025 as well...
 
KirkDuyt said:
Nah, the kid from our academy that replaced him, Hartman, is much better. Though he's out till 2025 as well...
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Hartman is a machine in terms of ball progression and attacking fullback qualities but those have been heavily supported as you know by Hancko.

You’ll know better than me but I can’t really think off the top of my head any stinkers of a performance that Hancko has made this season?
 
andersj said:
Hancko always appeared to be a smarter move than Branthwaite.
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He’s exceptionally comfortable at LCB/LB and also playing more in the middle of the park as the team pushes forward too.

He’ll be turning 27 in December so possibly age may be putting us off here and might be the reason for the apparent preference for Branthwaite?
 
I went and watched quite a lot of him after we were first linked and he would be my preference above De Ligt or Branthwaite personally.

Barely ever puts a foot wrong defensively, genuinely superb on the ball and kills 2 birds with one stone by being able to play left back.
 
BenitoSTARR said:
He’s exceptionally comfortable at LCB/LB and also playing more in the middle of the park as the team pushes forward too.

He’ll be turning 27 in December so possibly age may be putting us off here and might be the reason for the apparent preference for Branthwaite?
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Maybe. Jaap Stam was 26 aswell when he signed. I dont think 26 should be a deal blocker at all. (Maybe if the price and wages is very high, the player have played senior football regularly since teenager and are looking prone to injuries.)
 
BenitoSTARR said:
Hartman is a machine in terms of ball progression and attacking fullback qualities but those have been heavily supported as you know by Hancko.

You’ll know better than me but I can’t really think off the top of my head any stinkers of a performance that Hancko has made this season?
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None really. He's had less dominant games, but he's not really prone to big mistakes. He's probably our most constant performer.

As for Hartman, he was a bit wild until a year ago, but managed to tone that down to a healthy level. I think his ceiling could be quite high. Shame about the injury though. It's his second serious injury so not sure how much of a problem that will be in the rest of his career.
 
andersj said:
Maybe. Jaap Stam was 26 aswell when he signed. I dont think 26 should be a deal blocker at all. (Maybe if the price and wages is very high, the player have played senior football regularly since teenager and are looking prone to injuries.)
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I can’t imagine either fee or wages being significantly higher than anything we’d offer De Ligt and certainly not higher than the overall outlay on Branthwaite.

I do think INEOS may be targeting a predominantly below 25 market though (which I get why)
KirkDuyt said:
None really. He's had less dominant games, but he's not really prone to big mistakes. He's probably our most constant performer.

As for Hartman, he was a bit wild until a year ago, but managed to tone that down to a healthy level. I think his ceiling could be quite high. Shame about the injury though. It's his second serious injury so not sure how much of a problem that will be in the rest of his career.
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I’d have said that too from what I’ve seen of Feyenoord this season I can’t think of anytime I’ve thought he’s been caught out. How are you financially at the moment? I know Wieffer sale has cushioned most activity on your end so I can’t see there being a strong stomach for losing two of your spine?

Hartman for me would be a perfect Liverpool full back.
 
BenitoSTARR said:
I can’t imagine either fee or wages being significantly higher than anything we’d offer De Ligt and certainly not higher than the overall outlay on Branthwaite.

I do think INEOS may be targeting a predominantly below 25 market though (which I get why)

I’d have said that too from what I’ve seen of Feyenoord this season I can’t think of anytime I’ve thought he’s been caught out. How are you financially at the moment? I know Wieffer sale has cushioned most activity on your end so I can’t see there being a strong stomach for losing two of your spine?

Hartman for me would be a perfect Liverpool full back.
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I think if United bid 30 million Hancko is yours. We are quite well off financially at the moment, but not really in a position to say no to those figures. We also usually cooperate with players who are clearly ready for a step up.
 
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