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Liverpool's failed pursuit of Marc Guehi in the summer could come back to bite them, Chris Sutton has claimed. The Reds almost got a deal over the line for the Crystal Palace captain, but it broke down at the last minute.
Oliver Glasner's men failed to source a replacement for Guehi and therefore decided to keep hold of him this season, even if that means losing him for nothing when his contract expires in 2026. Since then, Ibrahima Konate's form has been shaky and Giovanni Leoni, who looked good against Southampton, has undergone surgery on his ACL.
"You just wonder whether not signing Guehi will come back to bite them in the backside," Sutton said on the BBC's Monday Night Club.
"They don’t have the strength and depth and cover in there. If Virgil van Dijk got injured, for argument’s sake, then they’re in a bit of bother."
Sutton went on to say that Konate "has been terrible on the ball this season" and insisted that Liverpool’s defensive struggles are "legitimate concerns".
However, there is a bigger picture at play. Liverpool could not have predicted that Leoni would miss the majority of the season and went into the campaign with four center-back options — a perfectly reasonable number.
It was also not Liverpool moving late for Guehi that meant the deal didn't happen. The Reds had made it clear to Crystal Palace that they wanted the player, and Guehi made it clear to his current club that he wanted the move.
Crystal Palace tried for weeks to get a replacement in, but it was its failure to do so that meant Liverpool couldn't sign him. Adding a different defender instead would have meant paying over the odds and compromising on quality.
Earlier this week, Sky Germany reported that Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are also interested in Guehi when his contract expires. Barcelona has also been linked, and clubs outside of England can make contact with Guehi from January 1 to arrange a deal.
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"For us it was of course a disappointment," Slot said last month. "For the player I assume, as well, because he was expecting to come to us.
"I try to put myself in the player’s shoes, but that can happen with a player from us as well. Maybe a player wanted to leave but in the end couldn’t because we couldn’t get a player we wanted.
"That happens in football many times and the good thing in football is, especially after the international break, everybody comes back, accepts the situation and knows he has to perform well.
"But if a player wants a transfer that he doesn’t get, then you always feel for him. If it’s a player of my team, you talk to him, make sure he gets his energy back and keeps going again, and that is probably what has happened at Palace with Marc Guehi."
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