It was clear for all to see that Liverpool had a list of priorities during the summer transfer window.
Liverpool needed full-back reinforcements with Andrew Robertson getting on and Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving for Real Madrid. Arne Slot needed a creative spark to replace Alexander-Arnold, and Liverpool’s attack needed looking at.
The Reds struck deals for Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike fairly early. Although Alexander Isak only joined Liverpool on deadline day, it felt like a matter of when, rather than if, it would happen. In a nutshell, Liverpool did what they felt they needed to do in the market.
Liverpool also reportedly assessed centre-back options following Jarell Quansah’s departure. Midway through August, Giovanni Leoni was signed from Parma. It was another box ticked by Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes.
Marc Guehi was another target, but reports suggested the Crystal Palace captain was ‘nice to have’ rather than a necessity. Liverpool eventually moved for the Englishman, and a deal appeared a formality. But Crystal Palace pulled the plug at the last minute as they would have been unable to get a replacement in time.
Liverpool’s monumental mistake
As Liverpool decided to leave a move for Guehi so late, their failure to get the deal over the line wasn’t viewed as a disaster. If Liverpool had really wanted Guehi, the deal would have been done. He was, at best, viewed as a bonus. An opportunistic signing due to his contract situation.
Now, in January, the decision to not push properly for Guehi in the summer looks like a monumental mistake.
Liverpool are currently fourth in the Premier League, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal and just five clear of 10th-placed Sunderland. Slot’s side are having a bit of a defensive crisis right now too. One that was entirely foreseeable at the start of the season due to the make-up of the squad.
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Conor Bradley is out for the season after picking up a serious knee injury against Arsenal. Leoni sustained a campaign-ending ACL injury in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton. And Jeremie Frimpong has already had multiple hamstring issues this season.
Frimpong is likely going to share the right-back berth with Dominik Szoboszlai — arguably Liverpool’s best player this season — for the remainder of the campaign. Joe Gomez impressed at full-back before his latest injury but, with Leoni out, the Englishman is the third-choice centre-back. He can’t necessarily be risked at full-back.
Transfer plans
According to recent reports, Liverpool’s summer focus is to sign a centre-back. There are no current plans to bring in a right-back in January, even after Bradley’s season-ending injury.
However, the situation at hand could expedite Liverpool’s centre-back search. It could — and should — force the Reds to move for Guehi this month.
Liverpool are down to the bare bones defensively. Slot could juggle players around and use square pegs in round holes, while potentially giving some youngsters an opportunity. It happened under Jurgen Klopp in 2020-21, when Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips ended up playing centre-back following an injury crisis. Slot has been a little more reluctant to use the academy players. But it’s not outside the realms of possibility that he’s forced into it as the season progresses.
The deciding factor here could be the interest in Guehi. Liverpool moved for Luis Diaz in January 2022 because Tottenham Hotspur agreed a deal for him. If someone makes a move for Guehi, the Reds may be forced to react. And react they should.
Guehi in demand
According to reports, both Arsenal and Manchester City want to sign Guehi. But Liverpool need Guehi more than both Arsenal and Man City do.
Signing Guehi now moves Gomez into a full-back role, which allows Szoboszlai to remain as a midfielder. Signing Guehi gives Slot some much-needed defensive options heading into the business end of the campaign.
Having been deployed on the left of a back three, Guehi could play as an inverted left-back for Liverpool. It’d give Liverpool a more solid base to build from and free up the attack, in theory.
Guehi would give Slot a different option in his backline too. The only real passer for Liverpool’s defence right now is Virgil van Dijk. It makes the build-up predictable and, at times, easy to plan for. Guehi is an expressive passer. He’s happy to play through the lines, or ping a pass from left to right to open the game up.
Guehi attempts more long passes and creates more chances than Ibrahima Konate. That’s despite averaging 11 fewer passes attempted per 90 minutes. The difference might seem minimal, but it adds up. And these marigan gains have a big impact overall.
If teams are a little more concerned about Guehi’s use of the ball in the defensive third, they’ll approach tihngs differently. In theory, it would free up other Liverpool players.
There’s one elephant in the room when it comes to Guehi and his fit for Liverpool, though. Many seem to think he’ll sign and just replace Konate. Despite playing on the opposite side of the defence. Guehi has almost exclusively been used on the left at Palace, and the ability to cut inside onto his stronger foot is what opens up the passing options.
He excels in these areas and there are no guarantees he’ll be able to do the same on the right. Still, his arrival should now be viewed as a necessity, just as it should have in the summer. Guehi improves Liverpool with and without the ball, and allows others to play in their natural positions. That right there, is priceless.