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Joe Gomez became the focus of a deadline-day transfer scramble amid growing uncertainty over his future at Liverpool.
Following the club’s signing of Alexander Isak, Liverpool turned its attention to Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi but was unable to finalize a deal. In the meantime, Gomez attracted interest from several clubs. AC Milan expressed interest, while Palace explored the possibility of taking Gomez on loan as part of the negotiations for Guehi.
However, the Reds were never inclined to allow a temporary departure for their long-serving defender. Brighton’s late pursuit also fell through, despite Gomez’s versatility at both center-back and right-back, which made him an attractive option for the Seagulls.
Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his Here We Go podcast with Men In Blazers, has provided clarification on the situation surrounding the 28-year-old defender.
"On Joe Gomez, I think it had been an interesting deadline day because yes Milan were ready to go for him, but then in the early morning they understood that the Guehi deal was going to be dangerous until the very end, and they couldn't wait until 6, 7, 8pm to get the deal done," said Romano
"But, Gomez was close to joining Brighton. There was a strong possibility for him to go to Brighton, from what I understand.
"There were some problems in the deal, which is why it collapsed, especially regarding the coverage of his salary, but Gomez was a target in the final 24 hours of the window.
"Perhaps for Liverpool it was better like this, also because the Guehi deal collapsed in the final seconds of the window, and so they can now complete their centre-back lineup."
Even if Liverpool had succeeded in signing Guehi last Monday, it would likely have been too late to allow Gomez to leave.
Now entering his 11th season at Anfield, the 28-year-old would not have been permitted to depart without another center-back coming in to maintain squad balance.
Gomez is expected to continue as a backup to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, but his importance to Liverpool was clear in his standout performance off the bench during the narrow win over Arsenal.
The ever-professional Londoner appears content to support the first-choice pairing while patiently awaiting opportunities, though a potential winter move for Guehi could prompt a reassessment of his role.
Speaking on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Pete O’Rourke said: "There’ll be a lot of dominoes to fall potentially, for Joe Gomez to leave Anfield. The thing is with Joe Gomez is that he’s happy at Liverpool and he’s in no rush to leave.
"It’s no surprise that clubs like AC Milan were looking at Gomez – they were looking to bring in a new center-back. There was even interest from Brighton late on in the window, and Palace had him on their list as well if they did lose Guehi.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s interest in Joe Gomez in January, but a lot will depend on how things are going at Liverpool."
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