Are Liverpool Strengthening in the Wrong Area? | OneFootball

As a Liverpool fan, this summer is proving to be remarkably exciting. The Reds broke their own transfer record, and potentially the British transfer record if conditions are met, by signing Florian Wirtz a few weeks ago.

That was then followed by the signing of Milos Kerkez and Wirtz’s former teammate, Jeremie Frimpong. In the last few days, the Reds have also confirmed the arrival of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, whilst all of the rumours suggest that a move for Alexander Isak is next. The question is, are Liverpool ignoring a more important area that needs strengthening?

Defensive Frailties

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There is little question that Liverpool have some issues at the back. Although the Reds currently have three left-backs in the form of Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas and new arrival Milos Kerkez, as well as both Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong on the right-hand side, the same level of depth is absent in the centre-back department. Rumours continue to swirl around the future of Ibrahima Konaté, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid when his contract ends next year. He is also a defender that is prone to an injury problem or two, which should be a concern.

We recently discovered that Joe Gomez had been sent home from the pre-season with an injury. The issues surrounding Gomez’s fitness are such that the player can sadly no longer be thought of as a genuine option. Then there is Virgil van Dijk, who has been the best defender on the planet during his time at Anfield, but who is now 34 and injuries will become a more common occurrence for him. It means that we have two fit senior centre-backs as things currently stand, which simply isn’t good enough for a sustained attack on the Premier League and Champions League.

Not Many Options?

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One of the reasons why the Reds might be concentrating on strengthening the attack right now is that there aren’t exactly an abundance of options when it comes to the centre-back role. Dean Huijsen was reportedly on the list, but chose to move to Real Madrid this summer. There are numerous rumours linking us to Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehí, which isn’t great considering his seeming homophobic attitude in the past. Otherwise, it is difficult to work out who Liverpool could go for that would be seen as a genuine strengthening of the options, which is part of the problem.

Whilst Arne Slot clearly didn’t think a huge amount of Jarell Quansah, which is why he permitted his sale to Bayer Leverkusen for £35 million, albeit with a buyback clause included, the departure of the youngster has left us thin on the ground in an area that history has shown wins you titles. Wataru Endō played more times at centre-back than in midfield prior to his arrival at Anfield, but both his height and his age are problems. In the friendly against AC Milan, Ryan Gravenberch and Kostas Tsimikas played the role, whilst Andy Robertson has in the past. That is far from ideal.

Attackers Are More Exciting

The truth of the matter is that attacking players are more exciting, which is why so many supporters are feeling giddy about the very possibility of Alexander Isak arriving at Liverpool to play alongside Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah. The latter is a player who has been sensational for the Reds, but whose glittering career is coming towards its inevitable conclusion. The transfers this summer do seem to have had a long-term replacement for the Egyptian in mind. As much as attackers might be sexy, it is centre-backs who allow you to win games on a more consistent basis.

As things currently stand, Liverpool are one injury to van Dijk away from having to play either a random senior player in the middle of the defence or else a youngster with little experience. Add in an injury to Konaté and the club’s apparent desire to win the Champions League in the 2025-2026 campaign looks like little more than a pipe dream. There is an argument that the Reds need to bring in at least two options at centre-back, as well as begin to blood a youngster in the role in case they need to be called upon in the future. The complete lack of options is a concern.