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Liverpool boss Arne Slot took a tactful line in his press conference ahead of facing Crystal Palace. He declined to talk in any detail about Marc Guehi so soon before the fixture, instead focusing on his existing options.
But there is no doubt that the timing of the game will raise some pertinent questions. It comes days after a cruel injury blow for teenager Giovanni Leoni, which leaves Liverpool having to navigate the remainder of the campaign with just three senior center-backs.
Naturally, it helps when one of those is Virgil van Dijk, the best defender in the world. And in Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, Slot is able to call upon a more than able supporting cast — but there will still be a sense of "what if" after Guehi got as far as completing the first stage of his medical at Liverpool.
In fairness, Liverpool would probably not have gone into the campaign with five senior center-backs. Gomez was fairly close to a deadline day transfer of his own, and you get the sense that may have gone ahead if the Guehi deal had crossed the line.
But with Leoni now out for around a year, Slot finds himself relying on the fitness of Konate and Gomez. While their quality is beyond question, their injury history is more patchy.
Perhaps Liverpool will re-evaluate its stance on returning for Guehi in January. Having decided to wait and pursue him at the end of his deal, that resolve will now be tested.
But one thing that's beyond question is that the collapse of the summer transfer has opened Liverpool up to some more uncertainty. Whether in January or at the end of the season, more suitors will now attempt to muscle in on Guehi.
Indeed, foreign clubs have the upper hand from January, when they will be given the green light to negotiate a free transfer. Unless offering Palace a fee, Liverpool will have to wait.
As such, it's only logical to draw up a list of alternative targets. Even once Leoni is back in the fold, Liverpool will want another center-back — Van Dijk is 34, and Konate is yet to commit his future beyond the end of the season.
According to Bild, Liverpool has identified Dayot Upamecano. The one-time partner of Konate at RB Leipzig is currently at Bayern Munich, but he is going through a contract saga of his own.
As with his compatriot, Upamecano remains in favor. Vincent Kompany starts him wherever possible, and Bayern would be keen to renew his deal.
But a breakthrough is yet to emerge. Inevitably, Real Madrid is taking a look, but Liverpool is also on the scene.
Given that Real is also circling Konate, there is an obvious conclusion to draw. On its face, it looks like whoever fails to convince the Liverpool man to sign will turn to Upamecano instead.
But that isn't necessarily the case. Liverpool could plausibly keep hold of Konate and still pursue Upamecano as a Guehi alternative, restoring an old partnership and setting up nicely for a long-term future without Van Dijk.
Bayern Munich paid $50 million for Upamecano in 2021. You can debate the extent to which he has truly kicked on, but he has not declined, and there's little doubt that a free transfer would be very shrewd business for whoever pulls it off.
Much like Guehi, his best years are still ahead of him, but he also brings instant experience. He has 57 appearances to his name in the Champions League alone.
Guehi still brings more overall, not least because he is homegrown. But depending on how the various dominos fall, Upamecano could end up being an astute option for Liverpool.
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