Liverpool have found themselves in a bit of a pickle after Giovanni Leoni’s injury.
Many fans were excited to see the 18-year-old make his Liverpool debut, but unfortunately for the Italian, things didn’t quite go to plan.
The defender was stretchered off the pitch against the Saints on Tuesday, and it turns out that the centre-back has actually torn his ACL.
This has left Liverpool with just three senior centre-backs to choose from until at least January, which is far from ideal.
Of course, players such as Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch can be used there on the odd occasion, but in reality, neither of those are perfect replacements.
An option they do have, however, is to reignite their interest in Marc Guehi after missing out on him in the summer.
Liverpool may not be able to sign Marc Guehi in January
Seeing as though there’s a World Cup at the end of the 2025-26 season, every player from every squad will want to play as much football as possible.
Most Premier League players will want the chance to feature in the tournament, which is why game time is essential.
And, although Guehi was willing to move during the summer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs via the Market Madness Podcast, a deal for the Englishman could be “difficult” to strike in winter.
“I know that Liverpool want four elite centre-backs at the club. They believe in Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni,” he said.
“But if Leoni’s injury is significant and severe, they’re only left with three options. Then we have to understand whether Liverpool would change their January approach. It’s unclear at this stage.
“First of all, we need to be patient. Hopefully, Leoni is back sooner rather than later. If that’s the case, there will be no move for Guehi in January. If it’s a more severe injury, I think Liverpool would have to discuss it.
“But what makes the Guehi situation harder is, even if Liverpool or another club want him in January and Crystal Palace are prepared to sell him, he is not necessarily wanting to move mid-season.
“It’s a World Cup year, so he’ll want stability and also knows he will become a free agent, so he can take his pick of clubs and probably get a higher wage. I think it’s going to be difficult for Guehi to move in January.”
Liverpool signing Marc Guehi in the winter transfer window wouldn’t make any sense
Even though Liverpool would be much better off by signing a new centre-back in January, it feels like it wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do.
Before Leoni’s injury, the Reds were more than fine with the depth they had among their ranks, and, if they end up trying to sign someone in January, clubs are going to take as much money as possible from them.
Much like the 2020-21 season when Jurgen Klopp had to sign players such as Ozan Kabak, nobody would sell their players to a club that are desperate for reinforcement.
That is, unless they spend well over the asking price, of course.
And, seeing as though Guehi could become a Liverpool player for free at the end of the season, there’s really no need for Slot to go out of his way and spend more money bolstering his ranks.
As mentioned, even though the Reds’ current situation is far from ideal, the fact that Endo, Gravenberch and even Andy Robertson can be used at centre-back means that they should be fine until Leoni returns.
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