Liverpool are expecting a quiet January transfer window as things stand despite ongoing speculation about Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott and Marc Guehi
The Liverpool squad is in a curious state as we head into the second half of the season with the defending champions having suffered their fair share of injuries during the first half of the campaign. While not the sole reason for their Premier League title defence swiftly coming unstuck, enforced absences have inevitably not aided Arne Slot’s side’s cause.
In recent weeks, the likes of third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, Calvin Ramsay and Wellity Lucky have joined Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni in completing the Liverpool bench.
But scratch beneath the surface and the Reds’ list of absentees is perhaps not as long as you would think. Consequently, Slot might have found himself having to turn to such fringe players to make up numbers regardless.
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Liverpool are currently without Mohamed Salah due to his Africa Cup of Nations commitments, while Hugo Ekitike is a doubt for their trip to Arsenal after missing the weekend’s draw at Fulham with a hamstring injury.
Beyond the pair, Wataru Endo remains sidelined with an ankle injury while Alexander Isak (fractured leg) and Giovanni Leoni (ACL) are long-term absentees.
Sure, the availability of the quintet would ensure a more senior feel to the entirety of a Reds 20-man matchday squad.
But when teams are permitted to name a 25-man squad, not including players under the age of 21, it does reiterate how Liverpool’s ranks are perhaps currently a little light with Slot only ever a couple of injuries away from a shortage.
And when you consider the limited usage of the likes of Federico Chiesa, Endo, Ngumoa and Nyoni – with the Italian the only one of the quartet to start in the Premier League or Champions League this season with one solitary start – alongside Leoni’s season-ending injury, the strain is even greater.
For the Reds to find themselves in such a position is somewhat curious given their transfer spending. After all, non-sympathetic observers will be quick to point to a £450m spending spree that saw Liverpool add eight new senior players to their ranks and break the British transfer record twice.
But that does not take into consideration the fact that the Reds recouped roughly of that figure in sales, and that 14 players with senior experience for Liverpool left the club either permanently or on loan.
Following the closure of the summer transfer window, the Reds named a 24-man Premier League squad. Yet that total included goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek and Rhys Williams along with Woodman and Ramsay.
Admittedly, Mrozek and Williams were both included in part because the Reds had homegrown berths going free while Ramsay could be named as Liverpool took advantage of more lenient squad registration rules in domestic competition compared to UEFA.
But without the trio, the Reds would boast a 21-man squad and have spaces for four new players in January – if they so desired.
Of course, things are not as straightforward as that thanks to UEFA’s own squad registration rules.
Liverpool named a 22-man Champions League back in September, and have already made one in-season change after taking advantage of new rules to instate Chiesa in place of Leoni following his season-ending ACL injury.
Leoni did not need to be registered in a Premier League squad as he is under the age of 21. But having only just signed for the Reds from Parma, he was not eligible for a place on List B (made up of eligible players under the age of 21) as he had not been on Liverpool’s books long enough to qualify for a place.
The Italian was not the only player to fall foul of such red tape. Ngumoha might be 17 and have come through the ranks at Chelsea before joining the Reds in the summer of 2024, but he too is not yet eligible to be considered homegrown or qualify for a place on List B.
Consequently, Liverpool had to leave out a senior player to include both Leoni and Ngumoha, with such rules also explaining why they had space for Chiesa and Ramsay domestically but not in Europe.
With Chiesa now in the Reds’ 22-man Champions League squad, they would have space to add three new players. But having made full use of their maximum total of 17 permitted non-homegrown players, their hands remain tied when it comes to adding to their ranks with such players having to qualify as homegrown.
Hypothetically, Liverpool could bolster their ranks with the return of Harvey Elliott from Aston Villa, with Unai Emery having frozen out the loanee and made it clear that the Villans will not be signing him permanently.
However, Villa would have to open talks with the Reds if they wished to terminate the midfielder’s deal, and likely pay a penalty fee, with no recall clause included in a switch which had been expected to be made permanent.
Having been heavily linked with Antoine Semenyo, the AFC Bournemouth forward could have also been added to Liverpool’s ranks without the need to move anyone on or leave anyone out due to his own homegrown status.
But instead, Manchester City appear to have won the race to sign the Ghana international and will activate his £65m release clause.
City are also reportedly weighing up a move for Marc Guehi, after losing Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias to long-term injury.
The England international saw a £35m move to Anfield blocked by Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day, with the expectation being that he would go on to see out his contract at Selhurst Park before having his pick of the clubs ahead of a Bosman transfer next summer.
But should City make a move for the Palace captain, it would be intriguing to see if Liverpool accelerated their own plans to sign the defender should their hand be forced.
It would not be the first time they have been called into action after seeing a rival move for one of their targets after all, with the January 2022 signing of Luis Diaz, for example, coming in response to Tottenham Hotspur’s own move for the Colombian.
With Guehi also classified as a homegrown player, he is another player the Reds could add to their current ranks without having to spin multiple plates.
So, hypothetically, Liverpool could have named a full 25-man squad had they signed Semenyo and Guehi in January and also recalled Elliott without the need to move on any senior players.
But as things stand, it is perfectly plausible that none of the trio are Reds players by the end of the month.
So if Liverpool did want to bolster their ranks, their hands would remain tied by the same red tape. They currently only have space for players who qualify as homegrown, while any player signed under the age of 21 would still need to be registered in Europe, with a current player needing to be sold or left out to make space as a result.
In turn, this perhaps partly explains why the Reds have expected January to be a quiet month.
But as speculation about Chiesa’s future continues, there is perhaps a possibility that that could change.
The forward continues to be linked with a return to Juventus, while Napoli have also been mooted as possible suitors. However, as things stand, it is understood that the Reds have received no contact from the former, either formal or informal, regarding a move for the forward.
While he is currently expected to stay put, should that change, a mid-season exit for Chiesa could also give Liverpool more room to work with with regards to the incoming front.
With just under four weeks to go until the transfer window closes, there will be plenty more speculation, twists and turns in the weeks ahead.
The Reds will no doubt be monitoring Guehi’s situation at Palace in the meantime, but their current squad is both a little short on numbers yet also offers little room to add to due to squad registration rules.
Ever the opportunists in the transfer market, only time will tell if an opening presents itself in the weeks ahead that prompts that to change and calls Liverpool into action.
