What England legend just said about Marc Guehi shows exactly why Liverpool need to sign him | OneFootball

Marc Guehi has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool, whose need for a player like him couldn’t be more glaring at this moment in time.

Joe Gomez’s withdrawal from the Reds’ pre-season tour to Asia due to a minor Achilles injury has left Arne Slot with only two senior centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

On Monday, Football Insider reported that the Premier League champions continue to hold a ‘concrete’ interest in the Crystal Palace defender and are expected to make a fresh approach for him soon.

England legend urges Liverpool’s rivals to pounce for Guehi

Stuart Pearce has now urged Manchester City to swoop for Guehi, believing that the 25-year-old is a player that his former club urgently need.

The England legend told Sports Mole: “It does worry me a little bit. If I was in their situation, Marc Guehi would be one I would go after. I’m a big fan of this kid. He’s got the ability to deal with things one-on-one on the counterattack.

“You’ve got to be good at that if you’re a Manchester City player in the expansive way they play, but if anything’s going to be their Achilles heel, it’s going to be that back line again.”

(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Liverpool absolutely cannot let Man City steal in for Guehi

Aside from the alarming lack of centre-back depth at Liverpool, Pearce touched upon another reason why the Reds ought to prioritise a move for Guehi over any other transfer target at Anfield.

The 63-year-old mentioned the Palace defender’s aptitude for stopping counterattacks with his one-on-one skills, a trait which further highlights him as exactly what we need at this moment in time.

In the 4-2 defeat to AC Milan on Saturday, we were caught on the break for three of the Rossoneri’s goals, having been worrying susceptible on the counter partly due to the loss of Ryan Gravenberch’s screening skills in midfield as he had to deputise at centre-back.

Guehi’s defensive figures from last season in comparison to Van Dijk and Konate also make for interesting reading. As per FBref, the England international averaged more ball recoveries and more tackles per 90 minutes than either of the Liverpool duo.

Pearce might be clamouring for Man City to raid Selhurst Park for the 25-year-old, but that’s precisely what FSG need to be doing. They absolutely cannot lose out to a direct rival for a player who simply must be treated as priority number one for the remainder of the transfer window.