With the January transfer window approaching, Liverpool’s clear priority in the mid-season market has been hammered home by another injury to versatile defender Joe Gomez.
Gomez signalled to the bench just over 20 minutes into the 2-0 victory over Brighton at Anfield and was forced off with a hamstring injury.
The 28-year-old will undergo a scan to determine the severity of the issue, and while as yet unknown it is clearly not positive news for Arne Slot.
This ends Gomez’s longest run in the side – four starts, one substitute appearance – since December 2024 and comes with a mounting list of absentees for Liverpool.
And joining youngster Giovanni Leoni on the sidelines, any extended spell out for Gomez should highlight the need to sign a centre-back in January.
Liverpool’s centre-back options – and who Slot trusts
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 30, 2025: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk (L) and Ibrahima Konaté applaud the supporters after the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. Liverpool won 2-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Slot has, after all, already accepted that his only remaining centre-backs have played too much football for this stage in a season.
“Sometimes players need rest as well, so look at Dominik, Virgil, Ibou, Ryan. They’ve played so many minutes because other ones weren’t available,” he told reporters before the visit of Brighton.
“So it’s good for them we go now to a run of games where there’s one week rest in between.”
Virgil van Dijk has played every minute of every game so far in the Premier League and Champions League, with Ibrahima Konate clocking the third-highest total of minutes throughout the squad (1,942).
Slot considers Ryan Gravenberch among his emergency options in the position, but not only is the Dutchman already first-choice No. 6 but he too has clocked 1,654 minutes so far – the fourth-most for Liverpool.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - Wednesday, November 26, 2025: Liverpool's captain Wellity Lucky lines-up before the UEFA Youth League match between Liverpool FC Under-19's and PSV Eindhoven Under-19's at the Liverpool Academy. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Wataru Endo is another of those viewed as a makeshift backup but is himself sidelined for a number of weeks with an ankle injury, while Andy Robertson continues to be rotated with Milos Kerkez at left-back.
Then consider the head coach’s admission that he is “almost happy that we’re out of the League Cup.”
It is clear that neither Amara Nallo or Wellity Lucky (pictured above), 19-year-olds who came off the bench in that 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the fourth round, are seen as viable deputies yet.
Is it really outrageous to suggest that Liverpool could be a Konate setback away from seeing Dominik Szoboszlai fill in alongside Van Dijk?
Who Liverpool could sign at centre-back: Guehi & 6 more
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 29, 2025: Crystal Palace's captain Marc Guéhi during the Football League Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Therefore with just over a fortnight until the transfer window reopens it makes sense for Richard Hughes and his recruitment team to be weighing up the possibilities in the market.
An obvious solution would be to revisit the deal for Marc Guehi, who was a medical away from securing a £35 million move to Anfield on deadline day in September only for Crystal Palace to dramatically pull out at the last hour.
Guehi has restored his focus admirably, captaining Palace during an impressive first half of the season, but has already made clear his intention to leave when his contract expires.
Knowing that they will lose Guehi at the end of the season presents a conundrum for those at Selhurst Park: accept a reasonable fee mid-season or allow the 25-year-old to leave on a free in the summer.
Much would depend on their ability to source a replacement and clearly there is no guarantee.
Ousmane Diomande of Sporting CP seen during the Liga Portugal BWIN match between Sporting CP and SL Benfica at EstAdio Jose Alvalade. (Credit Image: © David Martins/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire)
Liverpool have been credited with an interest in a number of others, including Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande and Zeno Debast, Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez and Wolfsburg’s Konstantinos Koulierakis.
All fit the basic profile: aged 22, 22, 21 and 22 respectively, with vast experience already at a high level including, for Diomande, Debast and Ordonez, in the Champions League and all regular starters for their countries.
Another to be heavily linked with a move to the Premier League champions is Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, while Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni is of confirmed interest.
It is however unlikely either would fall into the ‘market opportunity’ bracket when it comes to a January transfer, with mid-season moves often complicated.
Liverpool’s stance on January signings
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, December 13, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Liverpool will avoid any snap decisions when it comes to signings, particularly as the circumstances aren’t as dire as those that prompted the arrivals of Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak in 2021.
But if the right deal presents itself, they can hardly afford to ignore it, as even with Slot’s first-choice partnership currently fit it is a situation which is precariously balanced.
With Konate yet to commit to an extension to a deal which expires on July 1 and Gomez joining Leoni and Endo on the injury list, a centre-back signing must be a priority for January.