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Liverpool is the best in the business when it comes to transfers.
For all last summer’s spending, the Reds have often taken a prudent approach to incomings, understanding that frugality can prove beneficial in the long term. A hardline stance on valuations, a willingness to pay exorbitant fees for the right players, and the ability to unearth top young talent are all hallmarks of the Reds’ approach to the window.
Likewise, succession planning has been key in transitioning from Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning side to the one that currently sits atop the league. The arrivals of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike this summer certainly were authorized with the present and the future in mind.
But for all that planning, unexpected bumps will always occur. That is certainly the case with Giovanni Leoni, who is set to miss the next year following his devastating ACL injury.
It’s difficult to emphasise just how crushing this blow will be for the defender. He is just 18, has only recently joined Liverpool, and is still acclimatizing to new surroundings.
Suffering the injury on his debut - just as he looked at home for the champions - only compounds the blow. Liverpool believes it has signed one of the world’s best center-backs, and the club will now try to ensure that his developmental stall is as minimal as possible.
The injury also throws Liverpool’s careful transfer strategy into disarray. No one could have foreseen this, but suddenly Arne Slot’s elite squad seems to have a real dearth of center-back options.
Should Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez remain fit all season, that won’t be an issue, but the odds of that occurring are incredibly low. Slot has insisted he can trust Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch at the heart of defense, but few have given that stance much credence.
Given how porous Liverpool’s midfield looked without Gravenberch in the first two matches of the season, the prospect of redeploying him elsewhere feels unlikely.
The prospect of finishing the remaining months of the season with three natural center-backs will set alarm bells ringing. Fans will need little reminding of the disastrous 2020/21 campaign when Klopp saw his title defense obliterated as the Reds failed to cope with just three center-backs all season.
Frantic January decisions were made as Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies were recruited, while Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams had to be promoted above their stations. A repeat must be avoided. Liverpool must learn from previous errors.
Oddly, this is the same conversation that occurred during the summer after Jarell Quansah departed. With Van Dijk now 34, Konate’s contract dwindling, and Gomez’s patchy injury record, there was a sense that long-term solutions needed to be sought.
Leoni, of course, was the immediate remedy, while Liverpool had planned to purchase Marc Guehi.
Slot may insist that he has sufficient options, but his willingness to sanction a deal for the Crystal Palace captain provides a truer insight into his thought process. The Dutchman was hoping to embark on his second season at Anfield with five center-backs; now he has just three.
Asked for his stance on any January signings in light of Leoni’s injury, Slot claimed to be wary of increasing his squad size: “I would not prefer to go to 24/25 players. Also, if it is ever a situation where I lead a team that has four or five injuries throughout the whole season, it might be a bit smarter to go to 24/25, but recent history showed that [we have a good record] until now.”
Perhaps that is just posturing from a man who knows Palace will dial up Guehi’s asking price if there’s a sense Liverpool is desperate. In truth, a January move makes sense for all: Liverpool needs a center-back, Palace chairman Steve Parish has admitted the club cannot afford to let Guehi leave for free next year, and the player is evidently keen on a switch to Merseyside.
That doesn’t guarantee a mid-season transfer, and some may argue a short-term loan would be the most pragmatic course.
Whether it is Guehi or another, Liverpool must make fresh contingency plans. Even after a record summer spend and a carefully structured approach, Leoni’s injury has altered the backdrop to this season.
At least one defensive addition is needed in January - any inaction could cost Liverpool in May.
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