Liverpool NEED to sign two centre-backs this summer, not just one | OneFootball

Liverpool needed to buy a centre-back at the start of the summer after it had become abundantly clear that Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate were two of the only defenders Arne Slot trusted.

Jarell Quansah, for all his talent at such a young age, was prone to errors and it was fortunate that none of them hindered Liverpool in their Premier League title win. Regardless, you felt it was likely that he'd be moved on and at the start of July, the club confirmed his move to Bayer Leverkusen.eoni

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Since then, the Reds have needed two new defenders if we're honest. One to provide more substantial backup for Van Dijk and Konate, and another to cover Quansah's loss as fourth-choice.

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Of course, it's now been six weeks since the Englishman left for Germany and with three weeks left of the transfer window, things are getting stressful. However, Liverpool's targets are still available and while one incoming might suffice for some, I can't help but feel two are absolutely imperative.

Two centre-backs must be signed

As mentioned earlier, there is logic behind the idea of signings two more defenders. I'm aware that alongside Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, we would have made four signings for the backline in total if this were to happen, but the more you look at the problem, the more of a crisis it appears.

Joe Gomez is treading on thin ice, despite his cult-like following within the fanbase. His availability last season was extremely limited and he's going to be starting this season on the sidelines again.

Paul Joyce from The Times recently name-dropped Giovanni Leoni as a potential option in his latest update on the club and most of the English football media have considered Marc Guehi as well.

The Englishman who is currently Crystal Palace's captain is 26-years-old and would offer a lot of composure and leadership experience to the Reds, whereas the Italian is more of a project, although he would be starting his time on Merseyside with a clean slate compared to Quansah.

Both are considered targets and for good reason, but the notion that just one should join is proving difficult for me to get my head around. The current circumstances suggest their pair are necessary.

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Here's why. The idea of selling Konate this summer of mind-boggling, so that leaves us with two options; either he signs a new contract or he leaves next summer on a free transfer, following the expiration of his current deal. The risk of not getting fee for him is huge, but we're in too deep now.

As such, signing Guehi makes sense because he's the most reliable centre-back available in the current market and he's still in the middle of his 20s. In him, we're talking about a player that could lead the defensive line for years to come, even when Van Dijk eventually retires or leaves.

Whether he's there to back up Konate for the long-term - if the Frenchman signs a new deal - or just as an understudy for the season before he gets handed the reigns, it feels like a smart transfer.

The Eagles' valuation of him at £40m is a little steep since he himself will be available for nothing next year, but our situation requires us to overpay in this instance. He's a necessity. How the club proceed will be understood in the coming weeks, but Guehi is not someone we should risk losing.

And then you have Leoni, who has only made 2059 career minutes, since he is only 18-years-old.

He is extraordinarily talented for his age, and a quick look at a compilation of his efforts so far will tell you everything you need to know about the amount of potential he has. He would be a great addition.

But putting him in an environment where he's under the upmost pressure filling in for Van Dijk or Konate feels like a dangerous thing to do. The Italian is still developing. Let's not push him now.

Although bringing him into the Reds' competitive environment would only enrich his character and help him to flourish over the next couple of years. A move to Liverpool would be understandable, even if I think expectations of him would need to be managed. He'd be a huge transfer scalp.

So where am I going with this? Well, why not sign both of them? Getting a deal over the Alexander Isak in the attacking department is proving to be difficult, and as a result of the club's net-spend this summer, we can afford to making other deals and return to negotiations for him later on.

£70m would make the team a far more dangerous asset than it already is, even despite the signings of Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, because we'd be addressing a glaringly obvious weakness.

Guehi gets the minutes he desires to make a stake for a World Cup spot with England, since it's inevitable that Konate will have a spell on the sidelines this season, he's prone to a slight niggle.

Furthermore, we're then covered regardless of whether the Frenchman leaves this summer or not.

And then you can afford to have the development project with Leoni going on in the background, without overworking him at a young age. He could play a big role in the side when he's ready.

In addition, the extra bonus is that Guehi is already considered a 'homegrown' player by the Premier League and in three years time, Leoni would also be in the same boat - despite his Italian nationality.

Of course, I recognise that Liverpool have plans of their own and Richard Hughes will be in constant communication with Arne Slot to make sure the team is as prepared as possible to be successful. But it just feels like we're walking into a self-inflicted disaster if we're not careful.