Liverpool have form in leaving themselves short at centre-back, and it looks like history could be repeating itself once again, following injuries to both Jeremy Jacquet and Joe Gomez on Saturday.
Jacquet had been expected to make his debut during the friendly against Sunderland in Nashville, and there were some raised eyebrows when the Frenchman was omitted from the squad. Andoni Iraola has since confirmed that Jacquet will play only the final game of the US tour against Leeds.
Gomez did start, meanwhile, and wore the captain’s armband, but lasted only seven minutes before dropping to the turf and coming off with a problem. Iraola sounded less positive on the 29-year-old at full-time, and with Gomez’s chequered fitness in the past, fans are desperate for Liverpool to dip into the market for a new centre-back.
Who would be your choice of centre-back signing for Liverpool this summer?
The Reds clearly need to do something after fresh injuries to Jacquet and Gomez
Whether Liverpool agree with that stance remains to be seen, but as they assess which direction to go in, they know they still have some real quality – and some massive potential – to lean on.
Giovanni Leoni and Virgil van Dijk are the only ‘senior’ players
Jacquet looks likely to be Virgil van Dijk‘s main partner for the season ahead, at least during the early days of it, and his new knock should not change that.
Nevertheless, if he is out, and Gomez is down as well, that leaves Iraola with only Van Dijk and Giovanni Leoni to count on.
It is worse than that, really, because Leoni is still recovering from his own injury problem, and though he is seemingly close to a return, his level is unknown after one appearance for Liverpool and 10 months out and counting.
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That Van Dijk, Jacquet, Gomez and Leoni are Iraola’s four senior centre-backs heading into the season was causing enough angst as it is, but with three now out injured, and one still on holiday, things are more bleak than first thought.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye are next up
It was perhaps a nod to the current pecking order that, without Jacquet, Van Dijk and Leoni, Iraola chose to start Mor Talla Ndiaye against Sunderland.
The Senegalese did well, and though he is only 18, there is enough to suggest that Liverpool could hand him some minutes here and there during 2026/27.
The same can be said of Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who ended up playing 83 minutes on Saturday. At 6 feet 6 inches tall, the Austrian youngster is already enormous, and Liverpool clearly have big plans for him.
Though they would ideally not want to rely on him for Premier League and more serious Champions League matches, there is a player there, and both he and Ndiaye’s potential may be what stops the Reds dipping into the market.
Could anyone else play at centre-back for Liverpool?
There was one more centre-back on show on Saturday, as Luke Chambers replaced Ndiaye with the last portion of the game to go. Chambers is naturally a left-back, but has played more centrally in the past.
However, it would be a surprise if the 22-year-old is viewed as a genuine option at the heart of the Liverpool defence.
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There were some eye-catching performances in Nashville…
It is more likely that Iraola would turn to a handful of his more versatile midfielders in case of emergency next season.
Wataru Endo is perhaps the most likely to play, having spent a portion of his career in defence and looked comfortable when deployed in the back line for Liverpool. Ryan Gravenberch has also played well at centre-back, but that feels like more of a last resort.
Finally, Iraola also has the option to use Stefan Bajcetic in defence if he so chooses. The Spaniard is finally back in team training, and though he is a potentially top midfielder, he did begin his career with Celta Vigo as a centre-back. As he scrambles for his Liverpool future, that could be a way into the squad.
So, there is perhaps more depth than first meets the eye here, but it means Liverpool relying a lot on young players to step up. Though the Reds may well do that, with Gomez and Van Dijk’s contracts set to end in 2027, there is some succession planning at play here as well, and it would feel like an almighty gamble to go into the season with what they currently have.
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