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Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane believe Liverpool could end up missing out on the Champions League next season if it fails to sign a new defender in January.
The Reds have made a poor start in this season’s Premier League, with their title defense unravelling over the past couple of months amid a run of seven defeats in 10 games across all competitions.
Just 11 games into the league campaign, Arne Slot’s side already finds itself eight points behind current leader Arsenal, with some pundits already suggesting the gap is already too big and its hopes of retaining the title are over.
Carragher has pointed to Liverpool’s failure to sign Marc Guehi during the summer transfer window as a major turning point in its season. The Reds had an offer accepted by Crystal Palace on deadline day for the defender, only for the Selhurst Park club to pull the plug on the deal at the eleventh hour.
With Giovanni Leoni expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL, Liverpool is limited to just three senior center-backs in Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
Fears over Konate’s future are lingering though, with the French international set to be out of contract in the summer, and no sign of an immediate resolution at the moment.
Carragher has therefore urged his former club to sign a new center-back during the January transfer window, having warned the Reds that not doing so could lead to an embarrassing end to the season.
"That was a bad mistake [not signing Marc Guehi],” Carragher told the Stick to Football podcast.
“Liverpool are known as being really smart in the market, not overpaying and really good at selling. That could cost them. I think if Liverpool don’t sign a centre-back in January…”
Former Manchester United captain Keane then interrupted: "They'd miss out on the Champions League.”
Carragher replied: "I think they could."
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Guehi is once again being linked with a switch to Liverpool, with the latest reports suggesting that Palace believes the Reds are the only club that could make a move for him during January.
Slot though has already indicated that Liverpool might not be planning any activity during the upcoming window.
“That all depends on whether we get more injuries, yes or no, and if there's a chance in the market - all the answers I always give,” Slot said in September.
“But 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.”
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