Liverpool could pay heavy price for reported ‘short-term fixes’ stance

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Liverpool hold a reported stance on ‘short-term fixes’ transfers. It’s one that could cost them a very heavy price, however.

The Athletic quotes an inside source on this stance. “Short-term fixes aren’t what this club is about anymore,” says a senior Liverpool source.

“We want to sign a centre-back for three to four years, not four or five months. And they are not available without being financially irresponsible in this window.”

That’s their stance, then, as as we near the end of the transfer window, they appear to be sticking with it. Unfortunately, it feels backwards.

Long-term planning

We completely understand the long-term approach. You want players who can feel like full investments, rather than someone who just ‘does a job’.

That kind of squad-building has brought Liverpool to where they are now – one of the world’s most successful clubs.

They’ll wait for transfers if they have to, as with Virgil van Dijk. They’ll pass on transfers if they have to, as with Timo Werner.

In both cases, they were right.

But part of long-term planning is assuring your future. Isn’t that the point? Well, Liverpool risk making the next few years far more difficult by not signing a stop-gap.

Liverpool’s form is wretched, after all. One win in seven and no goals in their last four Premier League games. That’s relegation form.

Now, obviously, we expect Liverpool to turn it around. But it will remain that this group of players has this form in them.

It will make it incredibly difficult to compete for the Premier League title. It may make it difficult to fight for the top-four.

Should that happen, Liverpool’s long-term signings become far more difficult to make. They’ll limit the pool of players they can compete for, and limit their pull for the ones they want.

They reportedly dream of Kylian Mbappe for instance – there is zero chance of that when you’re not at the top of the game. The same goes for every other top player who has other options.

Can they properly fight Bayern Munich for Dayot Upamecano without Champions League football? We doubt it.

A short-term fix could be for a long-term benefit, then. Rigidly sticking to the idea doesn’t help and as cliché as it is, desperate times call for desperate measures.

In Liverpool’s case, that may mean breaking their stance and signing a short-term fix. It may be the best way to secure a very bright future.