Alexander Isak completed his £125m transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool, and after the dust had settled, heads swivelled toward Hugo Ekitike, new teammate and new rival.
Ekitike, 23, completed a £79m move from Eintracht Frankfurt to Anfield only in July, with FSG beating off competition from Newcastle in a brutish show of strength. The Frenchman had scored three goals and provided one assist from three matches for Liverpool when Isak's signature was penned.
Heads turned to Ekitike, and questions were then raised. How could these two strikers play together in Arne Slot's side?
We're nearly midway through the campaign, now, and Ekitike is firing on all cylinders, ten goals to his name. Isak, by contrast, has struggled for fluency and fitness, and he has only scored once in the Premier League.
There was a real emphasis on signing forwards at Liverpool this summer, but FSG's interest in Antoine Semenyo is evidence of frustrations over the frontline's fluency. However, signing a centre-back may be a more pressing matter.
Why Liverpool should prioritise a centre-back
Liverpool need to sign a centre-back, and no mistake. The Anfield side have been carved open many a time this season, so susceptible against counter-attacks, so weak in situations that demand strength.
Virgil van Dijk has been reduced to mortality after so many unflappable years, and Ibrahima Konate's woes at the back cannot even be put into words, with mistakes becoming part of the Frenchman's matchday routine.
It is incredible that Liverpool failed to address this potential banana skin. FSG did sign Giovanni Leoni from Parma for £27m, and the 18-year-old is considered one of the brightest defensive talents in the world.
However, he ruptured his ACL on his debut, in the Carabao Cup against Southampton, and will not be fit again until next season.
Liverpool centre-back Giovanni Leoni
Liverpool centre-back Giovanni Leoni
Liverpool's disastrous campaign has pulled them away from Premier League title contention, and they are also out of the Carabao Cup.
Something could yet be salvaged from this mess, but it's crucial that sporting director Richard Hughes signs a new centre-half in January. He has one in mind.
Liverpool confident in chase for Premier League star
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Liverpool are confident that they will sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi even as they work toward renewing Konate's contract. The Frenchman's deal expires at the end of the season.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi celebrates scoring their second goal
Likewise, the England international will leave Selhurst Park on a free transfer next summer. He remains a top target for the Anfield side, who would be interested in striking a winter deal for a cut-price figure.
However, with Manchester City focusing their own interest in the centre-back, it's clear that this could turn out to be a tussle between Premier League heavyweights.
The centre-back is said to already be keen on a move, according to prior reports, and it may well take around £35m to get a deal done over the winter, rather than waiting for him to become a free agent.
What Marc Guehi would bring to Liverpool
Guehi is comfortably one of the best defenders in the Premier League, and he has been developed into a well-rounded machine by Oliver Glasner, who has recognised his quiet leadership by giving him the armband.
Van Dijk vs Guehi in 2025-26
While Guehi's aerial prowess pales in comparison to someone like Van Dijk, he would serve as a neat counterpoint, his tackling and positioning leading Palace reporter Bobby Manzi to describe him as a "monster in defence".
More important, though, is Guehi's prowess on the ball. Konate's weakness in this area has been exposed by Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure to Real Madrid, and it needs fixing promptly.
The impact that signing Guehi could have on Liverpool's defence, and by extension Slot's wider tactical system, cannot be understated. Ekitike has been the cream of the summer crop, with ten goals and an assist to his name in a Liverpool shirt, but Guehi would take the cake, solving the biggest problem under the head coach's nose and restoring the equilibrium.
Semenyo would indeed provide an interesting attacking outlet, and it's true that FSG may regret selling Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich, having opted against signing a like-for-like replacement.
There has been much talk of Ekitike playing wide to accommodate Isak, and this has been put into practice several times, but the France star is thriving in his forward berth, and is evidence of things coming together when a well-profiled player is signed.
Ekitike Liverpool vs Brighton stats
Guehi, likewise, has been scouted extensively, and his particular brand of defending would be perfect for 'Slotball'.
Liverpool have talented options, but their error-strewn defending is having a detrimental impact on their progress, especially since, by and large, the Reds have defended decently, undone by so many mistakes and lapses.
Premier League 25/26 - xGA Table
Club
Arsenal
Newcastle
Man City
Crystal Palace
Liverpool
Data via FBref
Expected goals against (xGA) is the number of goals a team is expected to have conceded based on the quality and quantity of shots they face.
It's curious to note that Liverpool have still, from a statistical standpoint, kept a comparatively mean defence in the Premier League this season. Any inkling of sense would tell you that this has not been the case, but it's positive for Slot all the same.
In essence, a few well-thought-out tweaks could ensure Liverpool fire at full throttle once again, and Guehi would be the crowning achievement in that regard, dovetailing into the system and enhancing it, not only adding steel to the backline but creating new passing lanes and instilling leadership and composure too.
Marc Guehi scores for England
Given that Liverpool have not completed a senior centre-back signing since signing Konate four-and-a-half years ago, it's rather clear that such a player is needed.
Even if Leoni had avoided injury on his debut, it's important to remember that he is a teenager with limited senior action under his belt.
bournemouth-antoine-semenyo-premier-league Related
[Not Semenyo: Liverpool can revive Isak by signing "one of Europe's best LWs"](https://www.footballfancast.com/liverpool-can-revive-isak-by-signing-semenyo-upgrade-barcola/ "Not Semenyo: Liverpool can revive Isak by signing "one of Europe's best LWs"")
Liverpool are ready to be active in the January transfer market.