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Liverpool is continuing to make moves to future-proof its defense despite the deadline day collapse of a transfer for Marc Guehi.
The club is doing its best to ensure the back line is strong enough both now and in the future. In the medium term, another move for Guehi is likely. Though it may be a negotiating stance, word out of the club is that Liverpool will not return in January, but will rather seek to sign the England international on a free transfer next summer.
But Arne Slot and Richard Hughes will not sit idly until then. For one thing, Giovanni Leoni had already been signed before the Guehi saga, so the club did not completely fail to reinforce the defense.
Leoni's arrival marked a one-in, one-out approach, following the departure of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen. In that sense, Liverpool is no weaker than it was last season, when Slot claimed the title in his first campaign — although the 18-year-old recruit is yet to be put through his paces in the Premier League.
Speaking of Quansah, the club also made sure to place a buy-back clause in his deal. Should he continue his progress in the Bundesliga, then Liverpool will have an automatic candidate to replace Virgil van Dijk a few years down the line.
But with Ibrahima Konate's future beyond this season looking increasingly uncertain, there's no denying that Liverpool has to start thinking a few steps ahead for a long-term road map at center-back. Eventually, landing Guehi would ease some of that pressure, but there is more work to be done.
And that work goes all the way down to youth level. Liverpool will be hopeful that some internal candidates are not too far away from becoming viable solutions; the signing of Amara Nallo from West Ham in 2023 was much-heralded, and Slot handed him a Champions League debut last season (although it ended with a red card).
He is still just 18, and will be hopeful of chances in the domestic cups this season. But as ever at Liverpool, competition is never far away.
The club recently agreed a contract with another 18-year-old, Emmanuel Airoboma. He has represented Liverpool since U12 level, and this is his first professional deal.
Having previously played with the U18s, Airoboma is expected to move into the U21s setup for the coming season. Should he impress there, a call-up to Slot's team does not look altogether impossible.
Indeed, Airoboma may be among a small crop of players who were pleased to see Guehi's deadline day deal fall through. With Van Dijk, Konate, Guehi and Leoni, there would have been precious little room for opportunities, even in the cups — as it is, a pathway has remained open.
And of course, injuries can quickly change the picture. Airoboma need only seek out Rhys Williams at the AXA Training Centre to be reminded of that fact.
But Liverpool's plan with Airoboma will be a long-term one. Van Dijk is 34, Konate is stalling on a new deal, and neither Guehi nor an eventual return for Quansah are by any means certainties — this new professional deal places a handful of eggs in a new basket.
Whatever happens, it's a massive achievement for the young defender to have made it to this stage. Very few make the grade at Anfield, but he has just moved one step closer to making that dream a reality.
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