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Peter Crouch has told Liverpool that it must attempt to try and sign Marc Guehi after missing out on him during the summer transfer window.
Liverpool agreed a deal with Crystal Palace for Guehi to move to Anfield on deadline day, only for Palace to pull the plug on the move over concerns that its captain's departure would leave the Eagles short defensively for the season.
Liverpool's failure to sign Guehi was compounded when new defensive signing Giovanni Leoni sustained a serious knee injury a few weeks later, leaving Arne Slot with just three fit and available recognized center-backs until January at the earliest.
There are issues surrounding all three of those center-backs, too, with Virgil van Dijk having a poor season, Ibrahima Konate being out of contract – and also having a poor season – and Joe Gomez having been plagued bit fitness issues for the last year.
Guehi will be available on a free transfer when his contract with Palace expires next summer, but Crouch thinks Liverpool should attempt to sign him in January in a bid to rectify the team's defensive issues in the second half of the season.
"Center-half needs strengthening, they did try and get someone in in the summer, and I think that was needed," Crouch told Paddy Power. "They addressed the full-back situation, but they've not quite performed yet.
"I think that's the reason why there's been a drop off.
“You've got a settled back four there [last season] with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson firing on all cylinders.
"That made Liverpool really good, and that's been an element that they need to adjust to.
"With Marc Guehi, that's a no-brainer, really.
"I think they're going to get him cheap and he's a top-class player.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool reportedly remains committed to tying Konate down to a new contract, despite his form taking a nosedive this season.
The Frenchman's current deal expires in 2026, and in recent months, there has been plenty of speculation linking him with a move away from Anfield on a free transfer next summer.
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have been the two clubs most heavily linked with Konate, but it emerged last week that Madrid has informed Liverpool that it has no intention of signing the France international.
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