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Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler has called on Arne Slot to bring in a centre back during the January transfer window. Despite a promising start to the season, Liverpool's campaign has been thrown into chaos following a dismal run of form that saw them lose six out of seven matches between late September and October across all competitions.
There are several factors contributing to this slump, which has seen Slot's team drop to eighth in the Premier League table - one spot below Manchester United. However, the situation could deteriorate further due to Liverpool's lack of depth in central defence. A host of players have been linked with the Reds, including Mickey van de Ven and - more realistically - Marc Guehi, who nearly signed in the summer before a last minute U-turn.
Neither Ibrahima Konate nor Virgil van Dijk have been performing at their usual high levels. But any significant or medium-term injury to either central defender as it stands would cause issues for the Reds.
Backup Joe Gomez, who nearly moved to AC Milan in the summer, has only featured in four league games this season. Each of these appearances has been as a substitute, totalling 45 minutes of play, indicating he currently lacks the match fitness and sharpness to step in and effectively replace Konate or Van Dijk for a prolonged period.
Slot had attempted to plan for the worst-case scenario over the summer, securing the services of promising Giovanni Leoni from Parma for $34 million, before setting his sights on Crystal Palace's captain Guehi. However, Leoni was incredibly unlucky to sustain an ACL tear during his debut in September, while Guehi's last-minute move to Anfield fell through due to Palace's unwillingness to part with their key player, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Ex-forward Fowler, speaking on behalf of Adventure Gamers, has now issued a warning that Liverpool must urgently address their centre-back situation in the January transfer window by recruiting at least one player.
Fowler stated: "I'll be genuinely amazed if Liverpool don't bring a centre-half in. I think Liverpool have needed a centre-half full stop. You look at Joe Gomez.
"Joe Gomez is a wonderful player and I really like Joe, but he hasn't really put a long streak of games together because he's just injured, through no fault of his own.
"So I think Liverpool are probably lacking a little bit of depth in the defensive area. God forbid anything happens to Virgil van Dijk, then it puts them in a really worrying position."
Liverpool have been associated with a variety of defenders in recent weeks, including Juventus' Gleison Bremer, Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni, and Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck. The latter is reportedly refusing to sign a new contract with Dortmund.
With Konate's contract situation still unresolved, as he has only six months left on his deal, it's crucial for Liverpool to bring in a new player. This is due to the fact that the Frenchman could sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club in January.
Slot will be seeking more consistency from his defence when they face Nottingham Forest this Saturday, followed by a home game against PSV in the Champions League four days later.
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