Liverpool has struggled at times this season, but Arne Slot has been missing a number of key players in vital moments — including a young talent he clearly rates highly
06:00, 08 Jan 2026
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during a press conference
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during a press conference(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
If there is one position that Liverpool looks light in above all else at the moment, it is center-back. Joe Gomez has returned from injury, but for the last few games, Arne Slot has only had two options available.
Ibrahima Konate has improved substantially in recent matches, but with only the Frenchman and Virgil van Dijk to select for a while, there was concern that Liverpool was only one more injury away from calamity. Arne Slot, though, is unconcerned, with the Reds seemingly likelier to wait until the summer to make another addition in that area.
Marc Guehi has been linked with a move to Manchester City this week and the Crystal Palace captain, manager Oliver Glasner has admitted, could leave for a large fee, rather than as a free agent.
READ MORE: Oliver Glasner makes clear Marc Guehi transfer admission ahead of potential January exitREAD MORE: Arne Slot responds to Harvey Elliott situation after Unai Emery's blunt transfer statement
But Slot is not thinking about adding players at the back in the next few weeks. Instead, he was keen to speak about the players he already has on Wednesday — including one who has only played once to date.
"I think there is no manager in the world that would tell you, 'I am completely happy that I only have two center-backs available,'" Slot said in his pre-Arsenal press conference.
"But you have to look at the bigger picture. The bigger picture is that we've signed an unbelievably talented player in Giovanni Leoni, who will be back next season.
Giovanni Leoni impressed on his Liverpool debut in September before being forced off with a devastating injury
Giovanni Leoni impressed on his Liverpool debut in September before being forced off with a devastating injury(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
"This is the way this club works. As much has been said about our spending last summer, it's not that there is no limitation on us spending. This club has always tried to do smart things to keep up with the teams we want to compete with."
Leoni, in some ways, was a move away from how Liverpool has operated in the past. Costing around $35 million (£26 million) to sign from Parma, the then-18-year-old was a major investment, with limited data to properly gauge his potential.
With a need to look ahead to the days after Van Dijk's time at Liverpool comes to an end, though, the young Italian clearly has a big future ahead of him once he returns from injury.
Though the Southampton game in which he sustained an ACL injury is the only time Liverpool has seen him in action so far, there is enough evidence from his time in Italy to suggest that he is heading for the top.
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"He's tall, he's strong. He has a bit of Giorgi Chiellini and a bit of Leonardo Bonucci in him. He is kind of a fusion of the two," Emmet Gates, an Italian soccer expert for Destination Calcio, told Liverpool.com in the summer.
"He loves a tackle and getting himself about, but he also likes pinging the ball from one side to the next. If I were to liken him to anybody, he is kind of a mix of those two."
While he is not expected to play again until next season, Leoni has all the hallmarks of being capable of becoming the next big thing.
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Slot needs more options right now, really, but in Leoni, he knows he has a huge talent for the future. Having spent big on him last summer, Liverpool knows what it has in the teenager — even if it will have to be patient.