Marc Guehi has sent a timely reminder of why Liverpool should sign him. It was so close yet so far away in the summer window. In the end, Oliver Glasner got his way. The obdurate Crystal Palace manage...
Marc Guehi has sent a timely reminder of why Liverpool should sign him.
It was so close yet so far away in the summer window. In the end, Oliver Glasner got his way. The obdurate Crystal Palace manager made it clear, he could walk away from the club is Guehi was sold and Palace's Steve Parish caved in, pulling the plug on the deal for the England international to join Liverpool.
The Reds were left to rue that decision with the transfer window shutting close soon after.
Last month when Giovanni Leoni picked up an injury, the focus heightened even more on Liverpool's inability to sign Guehi, which has left Arne Slot with just three senior centre-back options.
Two of those options in Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate are very injury prone. The latter also has less than one year left on his contract.
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk is not getting any older either - Liverpool cannot continue to rely on him to play every game.
At this moment in time, it's moot whether the Reds are going to enter the transfer market for a centre-back, despite these concerns.
Senior figures at Liverpool will point to the versatility of Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch, who are both capable of playing as a centre-back.
Andy Robertson also played in that position during pre-season, and there are a few academy players at the club as well who have experience at senior level, such as Rhys Williams and Amara Nallo.
But is that really enough for a side hoping to be competitive in the Premier League and the Champions League?
We don't think so. We think that leaves Liverpool considerably short and just one injury away from a potential catastrophe situation.
On top of everything, Liverpool are also struggling on the pitch since the start of the season because they lack players who are good at progressing the ball.
Slot needs to find a solution in order to have players who can get the ball to Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah in the right areas, rather than both of them being forced to play out of position.
There's only one solution to both of these problems, and Guehi showed that against Wales on Thursday night sending Liverpool the ultimate come and get me plea.
He completed the most passes (86) in the game and looked supreme in possession dictating England as they surged forward and attacked Wales with real ferocity.
As a result, Guehi was able to help his side to a 3-0 victory with two assists which is a pretty remarkable performance from a centre-back.
It's exactly the kind of player Liverpool need, and with the club's dwindling centre-back options, they should heed the actions Guehi's performance warrants, which is another pursuit in the January transfer window.
Category: General Sports
