Liverpool are still waiting to make their first senior signing of the 2026 January transfer window.
Antoine Semenyo has decided to join Manchester City ahead of the Reds this month.
Meanwhile, Liverpool want Marc Guehi for free in the summer, not in the current window.
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Marc Guehi pictured at the Emirates Stadium ahead of Crystal Palace's Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal
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As a result, it doesn’t appear as though much, if any, business will be done to improve Arne Slot’s squad over the coming weeks.
But one former England international, who did join Liverpool in a January window, has now opened up on the move.
How Steven Caulker signed for Liverpool
Much like Slot’s current situation, Jurgen Klopp, who had lost Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren, was light on centre-back options going into 2016.
As a result, the German opted to secure a deal for Steven Caulker, who was on loan at Southampton but had his move cancelled so he could complete a move to Liverpool.
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Now, the Englishman has explained the transfer in a post on his LinkedIn page, admitting he has no idea how it came about.
He wrote: “In January 2016, I was lying on the floor, severely hungover in Dublin. I was on loan to Southampton at the time, and I had barely kicked a ball all season. My phone rang; it was my agent.
“‘Where are you?’ he asked immediately. I think he could hear the suffering in my voice!
“‘I am in Dublin; the gaffer gave me 2 days off as I wasn’t in the squad.’
“‘Get yourself home now. There is a big chance you will be signing for Liverpool tomorrow! ‘What?! Please don’t joke with me; I’m too hungover for this,’ I replied. ‘I am serious; this is the chance you have been waiting for!’ I have never sobered up so quickly!
“How that move came about, I will never know. There were so many times throughout my career when I felt I deserved a bigger opportunity, and it never once came, but at that moment, it did!”
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Conor Bradley and Leandro Trossard during Arsenal v Liverpool - Premier League
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Steven Caulker on why Liverpool stint was inconsistent
Caulker spent five months at Anfield before returning to parent club QPR in May 2016.
He featured on four occasions for Liverpool, but admitted his failure to prepare cost him.
The 34-year-old continued: “48 hours later, I made my debut at Anfield, up front, against Arsenal! We equalised late on to make it 3-3. It was one of the highlights of my career.
“Unfortunately, my time at Liverpool was inconsistent, and it was cut short as my failure to prepare had cost me.
“The moral of the story: We can work for days, weeks, months, and even years, consistently doing the right thing, without reward. The temptation to give up, like I did in that moment, can be overwhelming, but it’s in that moment where we need to be strong. I semi-wasted my chance; don’t waste yours. Be prepared at all times.”
Caulker was most recently on the books of Icelandic side Stjarnan, but retired at the beginning of 2026.
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