For Liverpool, the story of signing defenders has come to feel like a tale of decisive sliding-doors moments.
Last summer, the club came agonisingly close to landing England centre back Marc Guehi. So advanced was the proposed move from Crystal Palace that staff at Selhurst Park had already prepared a farewell video for their social media channels, complete with a black-and-white montage of Guehi lifting the FA Cup and the caption: “Thank you, skip.”
As it turned out, Guehi’s transfer fell apart in the final hours of Deadline Day, with Palace chairman Steve Parish stepping in late to halt the deal.
That near miss has helped lead Liverpool to this point, with four weeks remaining before the Andoni Iraola era officially starts away at Newcastle — a fixture carrying added emotion following the death of Kevin Keegan, an iconic figure at both clubs.
With only a month to go, Liverpool already find themselves facing a worrying defensive shortage. If the Premier League opener were tomorrow, Virgil van Dijk would be the only established senior centre-back available, and even the captain has yet to begin pre-season training after being granted an extended break following the World Cup.
Liverpool must give Andoni Iraola the backing he needs or risk limiting the Spaniard’s impact
New centre-back signing Jeremy Jacquet is currently sidelined and missed the opening pre-season match against Sunderland
Joe Gomez, Liverpool’s experienced and adaptable defender, then suffered another setback during the Reds’ pre-season opener against Sunderland in Nashville. Iraola described it as “probably the worst news,” just days after admitting his squad was already “very thin” at the back.
Gomez is an admirable gentleman and is adored by many in the dressing room and fanbase but the cold, hard truth is that you cannot trust his body. Transfermarkt data records that this is his ninth separate lay-off since the start of the 2023-24 season.
He started seven league games last term, six the season before. We do not know the severity of his injury yet but whether it is two days or two months on the sidelines, the situation is clear.
Beyond those two senior defenders, Liverpool have two youngsters who they believe are two of the best defensive talents in world football. But they have zero Premier League minutes between them and – you guessed it – are both out of action right now.
Jeremy Jacquet, the 21-year-old who signed from Rennes for £55m in January, is here in the United States but is being carefully managed. Given he did not play for the French club beyond February 7 due to a shoulder problem, he is being afforded an extended training block before playing.
After sitting out the friendly with Sunderland, it is believed he will do the same against Wrexham in New York City on Wednesday and is eyeing a first Reds outing against Leeds in Chicago next weekend.
Giovanni Leoni is the other option. The 19-year-old signed this time last year from Parma and is a true Italian stallion with Terminator-like looks. But the comparisons stop there as he has spent the best part of a year out after tearing his cruciate ligament on debut in September.
Even when Jacquet and Leoni are back, which the club are hoping will not be too far away, they are unproven, inexperienced and would be better suited being eased in slowly. As it is, they are likely to need to dive head-first into the deep end.
Virgil van Dijk is currently the only fit centre back, but is 35 and yet to start pre-season
It has left teenagers Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe needing to play there in pre-season, though the latter is lacking a work permit and is likely to be loaned out this term.
Van Dijk is now 35 and the captain is entering the final year of his deal, as is Gomez. The Dutchman remains one of the best defenders on the planet but cannot be relied on forever, as hard as that might be to admit for some Reds fans.
All of a sudden, the need to sign a defender rises to the top of Liverpool’s shopping list alongside recruiting the Mohamed Salah replacement on the right wing.
With Hugo Ekitike a long-term injury with a ruptured Achilles and Alexander Isak missing the majority of his first campaign on Merseyside with several problems, the Reds look extremely light at that end of the pitch, too.
Every criticism of Arne Slot last season was amplified given he had been backed with a mega £450million summer outlay with the big-money buys of Isak, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.
A year on, it feels like Iraola is lacking several tools to achieve his – and Liverpool’s – lofty ambitions this season.
The Basque boss has impressed during his opening weeks at the club, both in his public addresses and in the opening friendly here in Tennessee.
Liverpool are back at base in Chicago and have been met by Wirtz, Isak and Ryan Gravenberch who have joined up with the squad after missing the first part of pre-season due to their participation in the World Cup.
But if Iraola is not backed with at least two or three more arrivals, then the former Bournemouth manager faces an uphill struggle to return Liverpool to glory.
With news this week circulating that Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos is part of a consortium to buyout a £1.35billion stake in the club, Liverpool could do with a defender on next-day delivery.
