Liverpool fumbled second centre-back solution along with Marc Guehi as ‘clever’ defender begins to shine

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Liverpool’s failure to get a deal over the line for Marc Guehi during the summer transfer window could yet come back to haunt them.

The Reds pushed to bring the Crystal Palace captain to Anfield and even agreed a deal on transfer deadline day.

However, Palace pulled the plug at the last minute, leaving Guehi to soldier on at Selhurst Park at least until the January window.

While it was disappointing for Liverpool, they looked to have enough with four senior centre-backs in the squad. But a serious knee injury to new signing Giovanni Leoni has left Arne Slot with only three central defenders.

Ibrahima Konate is in poor form and Joe Gomez cannot be trusted to stay fit, meaning Liverpool could look to the market in the New Year.

If they had secured Guehi in good time, that necessity would have been avoided. The England international was not the only option Liverpool missed out on, though, with one former target now earning rave reviews from the Reds’ own player.

Ko Itakura praised by James McConnell at Ajax

Liverpool’s need for a new centre-back is not a new one. Until Leoni was signed this summer, the last one the Reds bought was Konate back in 2021.

There have been plenty of suggested targets in the meantime, with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming that Japanese defender Ko Itakura was a serious option for Liverpool back in January 2024.

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“Ko Itakura, one to watch in 2024 as top clubs are monitoring Japanese CB,” Romano said on New Year’s Day. “Understand Liverpool have sent their scouts multiple times to follow Itakura’s performances.”

Ultimately, Itakura did not leave Borussia Monchengladbach until the summer of 2025, when he joined Ajax for only £11m.

There, he has linked up with on-loan Liverpool midfielder James McConnell, who has told Voetbal International that he has been pleasantly surprised by how good the Japan defender is.

“Ko Itakura also caught my eye,” said McConnell when asked which of his new teammates have impressed him.

“I didn’t know him that well yet, but he’s a very clever player. Very good on the ball, good at dribbling, but also strong in defence.”

Itakura should have been on Liverpool’s list

Obviously, the signings of Itakura and Guehi would not have been equal. While the former was a 28-year-old leaving Germany for the Netherlands this summer, the other is one of the most high-profile centre-backs in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, Liverpool’s centre-back options are set to be completely overhauled over the coming year to 18 months.

Itakura was clearly a player the Reds liked at one stage, and given his availability and the low-cost fee, he would have been a risk-free addition.

Certainly, the former Borussia Monchengladbach player could have provided Slot with an alternative to the out-of-form Konate and the injury-prone Gomez.

Itakura has already earned the approval of one Liverpool player this season, it is just a shame the recruitment team were not equally impressed.