Reds linked with 'new Ayala'

One of last season’s Argentinian Clausura Championship was Velez Sarsfield’s young centre-half Nicolas Hernan Otamendi.

The 21-year-old's impact in the Clausura title race was such that the likes of Real Madrid have been named as interested suitors and the player himself has now cemented himself into Diego Maradona's international set-up and is expected to go to the World Cup finals. His form has alerted Rafa Benitez who is looking to strengthen his defence with some younger players and the player dubbed the 'new Roberto Ayala' certainly fits the bill.
 
Otamendi only made his Velez debut in May 2008 as a late substitute in a 2-1 home win v Rosario Central. However, it was the 2009 Apertura Championship where the youngster proved his worth. He made a total on 17 league appearances (all starts) as Velez finished as champions, two points clear of Huracan. Unsurprisingly the Velez defence had an outstanding record with Otamendi in the side conceding just 13 goals in 19 league games. 
 
Of the 17 matches he started in the Clausura Championship, the team kept 9 clean-sheets. These statistics and the dominant nature of Otamendi's performances have led to his quick rise from youth team player to highly-rated International. This season has not been quite as good for Velez who find themselves 7th which has increased speculation that Otamendi will leave.
 
The 5 ft 10 central defender was called up by Maradona for a friendly match with Panama in May which was made up from home-based Argentinian players which was won 3-1. Otamendi played the full 90 minutes and such was his performance that he again played the full 90 minutes of the 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Ecuador in June. He has since maintained his place in the side winning 5 caps and played the full 90 minutes of the 1-0 win in Uruguay that sealed World cup qualification.
 
Due to Otamendi's lack of height and playing style he has been likened to the former Valencia legendary defender Roberto Ayala. It's of no surprise that a number of Serie A clubs have already begun to track the player including Inter, AC Milan and Lazio. However, Liverpool are leading the chase with fellow South Americans in their squad including Argentina star Javier Mascherano who has reportedly suggested the defender to Benitez.. Unlike some South American youngsters who are catapulted to fame, Otamendi seems to be very level-headed. He still lives in his humble family home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and takes a bus to training every day.
 
The player's main attributes include his physical strength which is conditioned from his love for boxing. Like Ayala and Fabio Cannavaro, the Argentine reads the game well and uses his speed to anticipate opposition moves. He is renowned for his excellent tackling ability and has become the star of the Velez team in a short time. His manager Ricardo Gareca was glowing in his tribute to him, "He plays like a veteran. In centre-backs, cases like this are very rare."
 
The Velez Football Director Christian Bassedas also praised him, "You watch him on the pitch and he gives you the idea that will eat up the opponent striker in every ball."
 
Liverpool may have to move quickly in January although they will need to sell before they can buy with Andrea Dossena, Ryan Babel and Andrei Voronin all likely to depart. Big spenders Real Madrid have shown a strong interest although they yet to bid, "I wish it would have been like the papers say, but Real have not offered 20 million euros for Otamendi," said Velez president Fernando Raffaini.
 
"It's true that I had a meeting with (Real director) Jorge Valdano, we spoke about many things, but he didn't make an offer at any point.
 
"We had a conversation and he said that Otamendi could be a good player for Real Madrid, but all we spoke about was thinking about the future."
 
An early bid of £9m is expected to be enough if Liverpool do make their move before the various other big European clubs make their bid for the next big Argentinian defensive star.
 
This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the views or position of Liverpool Football Club.