With Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo injured and Mohamed Salah at AFCON, Liverpool need to get busy in the January transfer window
Despite securing a 2-1 win over Tottenham at the weekend, Liverpool suffered a significant blow with an injury to Alexander Isak. The Swedish international scored the Reds’ first goal of the match against Thomas Frank’s team but was tackled harshly by Micky van de Ven while shooting.
Instead of celebrating his goal, Isak could be seen holding his leg on the ground and it now appears that the £125m signing will be sidelined for a considerable period, pending an MRI scan to determine the full extent of the injury.
With Mohamed Salah currently away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, Liverpool’s forward line is now significantly depleted. As the January transfer window rapidly approaches, the Liverpool Echo examines some of the decisions that may need to be made by Arne Slot and his team if Liverpool are to compete for European places and potentially even the title.
READ MORE: Alexander Isak injury latest as Liverpool worst fears confirmedREAD MORE: Mohamed Salah scores last-minute AFCON winner as Liverpool star breaks Zimbabwe hearts
Bring in Semenyo
With injuries to Isak and Cody Gakpo and Salah’s absence, Slot needs to bring in reinforcements to strengthen the attacking options. If they fail to do this and another player gets injured, it will make life considerably more challenging for Slot and Liverpool.
One player consistently linked with the Reds is Bournemouth’s forward Antoine Semenyo, who has had an outstanding season so far.
Although Semenyo operates from the left and Salah from the right, the forward scores goals and creates opportunities, so he could potentially replace Salah in that capacity in the long run. Liverpool are believed to be vying with Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur for his signature, which is valued at £65m.
Semenyo has also previously expressed his ambition to play as a central striker, so the Premier League star could feasibly step in to replace Isak should Hugo Ekitike need a rest or rotation. “I’m destined to be a No.9,” the Ghanaian told AwayDays on YouTube.
“Andoni, gaffer, play me as a nine – that’s all I’m gonna say.”
Sign Guehi ASAP
Liverpool must secure Marc Guehi’s signature. The Crystal Palace defender came agonisingly close to joining Slot’s team on deadline day in the summer, but the deal fell through at the last hurdle.
With clubs like Manchester City and Bayern Munich showing interest in Guehi, Liverpool must act swiftly to seal the deal for the former Swansea City centre-back. He has been one of the standout performers this season once again, and it might be worth offering £30m to Palace to ensure Liverpool land their target.
Of course, they could attempt to negotiate a deal for him in the summer, but given the injuries to Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez, Liverpool simply must bring in another centre-back to stabilise the team. Otherwise, they risk repeating the 2020/2021 scenario, where Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams formed the centre-back partnership due to the absence of several senior defenders.
Florian Wirtz change
Florian Wirtz was brought in as one of Europe’s most promising central attacking midfielders, yet more recently Slot has played him out on the left.
The German started the season in his preferred role but arguably failed to impress in the opening weeks of the campaign. However, it might now be worth reverting back to his favoured position and giving him another chance to shine after dazzling for Bayer Leverkusen.
Liverpool have transitioned from Fabinho to Ryan Gravenberch as their sixes in recent years, and both have been outstanding, allowing the two midfielders ahead of them to thrive and exploit the space in front of them.
Slot could pair Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai in a flat midfield partnership – arguably the two best midfielders currently ahead of Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones, although the latter has been exceptional recently.
Then, position Wirtz in his natural role behind a potential attacking trio of Antoine Semenyo, Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa.
