Last night’s news could make it impossible for Liverpool to get their midfield signing – RTK View

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Naby Keita’s latest injury may make it unlikely that Liverpool get their midfield signing. The Reds could use something fresh.

Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford shone a bright light on their midfield. It just didn’t look up to scratch, unable to find gaps in Manchester United’s press and unable to progress the ball properly.

That hasn’t been a problem until now. United are far from the first team to press Liverpool – Manchester City did it a few weeks ago – but we can’t remember the Reds ever struggling like that.

The win over City in the Community Shield had a different midfield, of course. Thiago was there – one of the absolute best players in the world against a press. Without him, Liverpool looked lost.

That’s a huge problem. Not only is Thiago injury prone but he’s 31 and Liverpool can’t rely on him to this extent. But even with him in the team, they struggled to handle to the intensity at Fulham on opening day.

And so comes the call for transfers. Liverpool could certainly use extra quality in midfield and everyone sees that. But an injury to Naby Keita this week might make it impossible for the Reds to justify a move.

Unlikely that Liverpool get their midfield signing

Jurgen Klopp sounds open to the idea of a new signing but not convinced. He said, per the Athletic, that he can’t rule things out but there are no plans to sign anyone.

Keita’s injury would seemingly change those plans – he’s supposed to be the player who steps up in Thiago’s absence. Instead, we wonder if it’s hurt efforts to sign someone further.

After all, Liverpool boast a considerable number of midfielders right now. Fabinho, Thiago, Jordan Henderson, Keita, James Milner, Harvey Elliott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabio Carvalho can all play in the central roles. The club will struggle to justify another player unless someone leaves.

The primary candidates would be Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain as their contracts expire in 2023. However, both are now injured and it seems highly unlikely that anyone would sign them in the next week while they’re injured.

And without the extra cash – and wage-bill space – that a sale would bring, we don’t see Liverpool justify a sudden outlay on a quality midfielder. We hope we’re wrong, but it doesn’t feel like the way the club would do things, even after a poor performance.