What Liverpool are planning to do next after missing out on signing a new defensive midfielder

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The curtain has come down on Liverpool’s transfer window, with many supporters left dissatisfied by the club’s business.

It took several months for the Reds to spring into life and once they did, it was only for a brief flurry.

Federico Chiesa is undoubtedly a brilliant acquisition for an excellent price. The Italian’s arrival enhances the Liverpool squad all on its own.

Giorgi Mamardashvili should also end up being a big player for the Reds in time and sporting director Richard Hughes deserves credit for getting that over the line.

Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that perhaps the biggest thing Arne Slot requested from the window was not delivered. For the third summer in a row, Liverpool missed out on signing a new defensive midfielder.

Liverpool still looking for perfect number six

There are obviously mitigating factors behind Liverpool’s unsuccessful attempts at bringing in the perfect heir to Fabinho.

In 2022, with Fabinho still at the club, the Reds tried to find his successor ahead of time. However, Aurelien Tchouameni chose to join Real Madrid over Liverpool.

In 2023, things were a little more difficult to understand. Despite Moises Caicedo being get-able at the right price – a figure Liverpool were ultimately willing to pay – the Reds left it too late to get involved. By then Caicedo had already given his word to Chelsea.

That’s where Romeo Lavia also ended up, after the Red could not agree on a fee with Southampton.

READ MORE: Every incoming and outgoing deal Liverpool completed on transfer deadline day

Then, this summer, it had finally looked as though Liverpool had the man they were looking for. But after being pressured by Real Sociedad, Martin Zubimendi decided to reject a move to Anfield, too.

After all of this, Slot has been left to shoehorn Ryan Gravenberch into a slightly unfamiliar deeper lying role.

Gravenberch has done well so far, though, and The Athletic report that the head coach has been ‘buoyed’ by what he’s seen from the 22-year-old.

However, it is also claimed that Gravenberch’s good start will not stop Liverpool from looking for a solution in defensive midfield. The Reds will reportedly ‘continue to assess possible options.’

Who could the options be for Liverpool?

Many Liverpool supporters will be not pleased at all by their club’s failure to sort out the one area of the team Slot had clearly identified as needing a boost this summer.

Nevertheless, if they did not feel that the right alternative to Zubimendi was not available, then there was no use getting someone in just for the sake of it.

It has been claimed that Liverpool did not want another stop-gap signing such as Wataru Endo and that is why they held off.

Things are clearly going to have to be sorted soon, though, and you would imagine that the Liverpool recruitment team will already be hard at work trying to find who that player could be.

Alan Varela has been put forward as an alternative to Zubimendi and the Porto man could still be one to watch. The likes of Maxence Caqueret at Lyon or Atalanta’s Ederson may also come into the thinking. The search goes on!