Liverpool are again being linked with Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi but if they have to strengthen one position this month it should be elsewhere
It seems a somewhat strange claim to make about a club that splashed out a record £450million on new players during the summer. But even the most cursory observer of Liverpool’s season would suggest Arne Slot simply doesn’t have enough senior options.
The inevitable consequence of the relentless schedule has been the raft of injuries that, during the past six weeks, has exposed the Reds being short in a number of key areas in their squad.
Of course, they are far from the only leading Premier League team for whom resources have been thin on the ground of late. Manchester City are grappling with an injury crisis at centre-back while neighbours United have had to place an increasing number of untried Academy prospects on the bench.
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Liverpool’s, though, is considered all the more surprising given their vast outlay in the summer window, which does somewhat overlook the fact Arsenal’s net spend was greater than that of the Reds.
And in terms of sheer numbers, Slot has been right in his continued insistence Liverpool’s splurge was borne out of a desire to replace players rather than simply strengthen.
Liverpool brought in seven major signings, along with a third-choice goalkeeper and two players primarily for the Academy. Going out were eight players – two of whom admittedly had been loaned out the previous season – with the Reds also having to contend with the tragic death of Diogo Jota.
That a number of the new arrivals – Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni – have been injured for large periods has given the impression, however, Liverpool have weakened a Premier League-winning squad rather than strengthened it.
Certainly, the combination of a failure to get a deal for Marc Guehi over the line and the season-ending injury to Leoni a few weeks later have left the Reds with concerns in a centre-back area where Joe Gomez’s fitness has been intermittent and Ibrahima Konate is still recovering from a major dip in form.
Konate’s situation has been further complicated by the ongoing speculation over his future, with talks over a new Anfield deal having reached an impasse meaning at present the player is due to depart for nothing when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Small wonder, then, the calls for Liverpool to bring forward to the January window their expected attempt in the summer to finally snare Guehi, who will by then be a free agent.
They have also intensified given City are considering a January bid due to their own defensive issues and Palace boss Oliver Glasner having admitted the England international could leave for the right price this month.
There is, though, an argument that if Liverpool are to strengthen their options before the February 2 deadline, it should be in another area of the pitch – the attack.
Even when Isak was available and Mohamed Salah wasn’t on Africa Cup of Nations duty, Liverpool appeared short of an option across the forward line with 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha understandably having his first-team exposure limited.
While Federico Chiesa is popular among the fanbase and was early in the season a threat from the bench, the reality is the Italian has only ever started two Premier League games in approaching 18 months under Slot. The head coach clearly doesn’t see the 28-year-old as an answer to his team’s problems in breaking down packed defences.
Indeed, the immediate shape of the squad could be impacted by Chiesa in the coming weeks, the forward wanted by Juventus on loan having previously expressed a desire to make Italy’s World Cup squad – should they qualify – which will only come from greater minutes.
But it’s unlikely Liverpool will sanction any move unless they have a replacement, regardless of Salah being expected to continue at Anfield for the remainder of the season.
While all have slightly different profiles, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Takumi Minamino were all signed during a January window to bolster the attack, Fenway Sports Group rubberstamping the moves of Gakpo and Diaz in particular to stave off interest from elsewhere having originally intended a summer move.
Liverpool’s recruitment team will have already long been planning for future transfer windows. But if they are compelled to make one move over the next few weeks, it should be to provide extra firepower for Slot.
