Like our last pick, Sergi Cardona is a 25-year-old fullback playing in La Liga, this time for Villarreal. Cardona only moved to the club last summer on a free transfer from Las Palmas, and Liverpool were rumoured to have kept an eye on the Spaniard before he completed the transfer.

Cardona was a shining light in what was a very difficult campaign for Las Palmas, who found themselves in a relegation battle. It’s easy to see from the radar chart why Liverpool held an interest in the dynamic left back. He is well-rounded both in the defensive and attacking areas of his game.

Cardona is above the 80th percentile for blocks, clearances, and aerial win percentage. He is also above average in terms of tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes, as well as the percentage of dribblers he successfully tackles.

Cardona also excels in the offensive phase. He is amongst the top 10% of fullbacks in Europe’s top five leagues for expected assisted goals, and he has managed to register 7 assists in La Liga this season. He is also in the top 30% for shot-creating actions and non-penalty xG per 90 minutes. Cardona is, however, the opposite of Mingueza in terms of finishing his chances, as he is well underperforming his xG.

Despite Cardona’s impressive assist tally, he does not actually get on the ball much. He is in the bottom 40% in all possession-based metrics. However, he does offer offensive runs down his channel, ranking in the 83rd percentile for progressive passes received. Interestingly, much like Óscar Mingueza, previous seasons' data shows that Cardona is very capable on the ball. This indicates that Cardona’s in-possession metrics this season are a result of the team’s tactical vision rather than the individual player’s attributes.

So clearly, Cardona meets the criteria in terms of a well-rounded profile that can offer just as much in defence as he can going forward. Cardona’s age is also ideal, as he is entering his prime. On the basis that Liverpool may miss out on their primary target, Milos Kerkez, the club may take the view that signing a direct replacement for current second-choice Kostas Tsimikas may be just as suitable, as long as the new signing offers more on the pitch than Tsimikas has this season.

In terms of availability, Cardona only signed a three-year contract upon signing for Villarreal in 2024, and therefore one would assume that he has planned to use the club as a stepping stone, perhaps with a view to eventually making the rumoured move to Anfield, having been scouted by the club.

As with all players plying their trade in La Liga, Cardona would also have a release clause inserted in his contract; however, the value of this clause has not been disclosed. As a result of his contract situation and the existence of a release clause in his contract, we would expect Cardona to be valued at roughly £20 million.