Liverpool need to put their troubles to rights this month.
You might say that Arne Slot has reached a critical juncture in his Anfield tenure, having spearheaded a nine-match unbeaten run across all competitions after losing nine of 12 beforehand.
However, the mood is still sour, with Reds supporters discontented by the Premier League champions' absence of identity and colour in their playing style.
It can't go on like this, so FSG may want to make a change or two in the January transfer window, with persistent defensive struggles calling for a centre-back to ease the burden on Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
Liverpool plan to sign defender in 2026
It's clear that Liverpool need more depth across a range of areas, even after spending a record-breaking £450m on new recruits during the summer transfer window.
Long-term planning has already been advanced, with a deal agreed for Austrian teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who is considered one of the brightest young defensive prospects in the world.
But Ndukwe is not going to be ready for the big time for quite a while yet. Liverpool, with Van Dijk ageing and Konate unconvincing, need instant relief.
Well, according to BBC transfer reporter Sami Mokbel, Liverpool have been issued a sobering reality check in their long-standing bid to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, with Manchester City now ready to strike this month after injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.
Liverpool have what is described as a strong interest, but they would prefer to land the 25-year-old on a free transfer at the end of the year.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi
Guehi has emerged as one of the best defenders in the Premier League over the past several years, and it's felt that Eagles chairman Steve Parish will be looking to get as close to £35m as possible if he is to leave mid-season.
Why Liverpool have to sign Marc Guehi
Guehi is a proven Premier League star who was extensively profiled last summer. He would have signed for the Anfield side save for Palace pulling the plug at the eleventh hour on deadline day after failing to find a sufficient replacement.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi celebrates scoring their second goal
The England international is "a monster in defence", as has been claimed by Palace correspondent Bobby Manzi, but he's also a crisp and enterprising on-the-ball defender, having created four big chances in the league this season, averaging a key pass every two matches, as per Sofascore.
Should Liverpool get this one over the line, Guehi has the potential to dynamise and synergise Liverpool's entire team, potentially reviving one of Liverpool's most sunken stars in Alexis Mac Allister, who is a pale shadow of his one-time self at the moment.
Mac Allister has been immense, an influential leader, over the past two-and-a-half years at Anfield, leading Liverpool through a trophy-laden period.
But he's been horribly out of sorts this year. One Reds-focused content creator has even gone as far as to say that the 27-year-old "looks like Fabinho in his final year", having "physically fallen off a cliff".
To be sure, the Argentina international needs some external support, having deteriorated so shockingly this season.
Mac Allister's Premier League Decline
Stats (per 90)
Goals
Assists
Touches
Pass completion (%)
Shot-creating actions
Progressive passes
Progressive carries
Successful take-ons
Recoveries
Tackles won
Interceptions
Aerials won
Data via FBref
In Guehi, Slot could land the kind of confident and progressive centre-half to not only rekindle Liverpool's defensive verve but settle the wider equilibrium, providing more stability for the midfielders ahead of them while supplementing them on the ball.
After all, the Eagles centre-back is "really calm on the ball", says former Three Lions goalkeeper Joe Hart, while maintaining an ambitious sense of creativity that hasn't been channelled securely on Merseyside this season.
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Liverpool are in dire need of fresh quality amid a laborious campaign in Arne Slot's system.