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Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson says the Reds must sign Marc Guehi in January to help Virgil van Dijk out at the back and inject some more physicality into their backline.
So far this season, Arne Slot's side has leaked goals, with another three beating Giorgi Mamardashvili at Brentford on Saturday. Liverpool has already conceded 11 more times than Arsenal in the Premier League, with only nine games played.
Despite an influx of new signings in the summer, though — and they were always going to take time to gel — Johnson believes that Liverpool should accelerate a move for Guehi rather than wait to snap him up on a free transfer in the summer.
"Guehi, everyone's been speaking about him for a while," Johnson told Ace Odds. "I think he's got all the credentials to slot in perfectly.
"More importantly for me, I think he's the right age to be able to do it with Van Dijk for a year or two. Whether Van Dijk has been himself or not is debatable.
"But in terms of being alongside someone you can learn an awful lot from playing with or training with or being in the dressing room with, that I think can be massive for Marc's future as well. The sooner you sign him, the better."
Liverpool almost signed Guehi on transfer deadline day in the summer. A deal was agreed before Crystal Palace failed to source a replacement and then pulled the plug.
Since then, links have emerged with the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Clubs abroad could move for Guehi in January, lining him up for a free transfer at the end of the season when his contract expires.
"They offered Marc a new contract, but he said, 'No, I want to make something different', and that's normal," manager Oliver Glasner confirmed earlier this season.
"It's how we can deal with this situation. (What) is the best way to get this next step done? And that's all about how we are talking together."
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Guehi has been in good form for Crystal Palace this season. He could play at Anfield on Wednesday as Glasner's men come to Merseyside in the League Cup.
With Giovanni Leoni sidelined with an ACL injury for which he has had surgery, Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is likely to play in the game. Wataru Endo could also come into the team at the back.
Liverpool.com says: Guehi is a very good player but it is probably a system issue rather than any one individual being at fault. The whole balance of the team needs to change and bringing in a different defender is not necessarily an immediate fix.
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