Liverpool have had a difficult time in defence - ever since the off-season.
Having first old Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £30m, Arne Slot was one player short in the centre-back area. And sporting director Richard Hughes attempted to account for that departure through the signing of Italian teenager Giovanni Leoni.
But the £26m acquisition from Parma won’t be available for the entire season due to a torn ACL on debut.
Factor in the failure to land Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day and you can see why Liverpool have been linked with so many defenders in his January window and ahead of summer 2026.
Joe Gomez linked with AC Milan
Then there’s the problem at right-back. Hughes decided to sell Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid last summer for only £10m. He gave a new contract to Conor Bradley - and also brought in Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for £29m.
But Bradley’s season-ending knee injury - combined with Frimpong’s unsuitability for the position - means Liverpool are once again short in a key area.
It’s a good thing therefore that the Premier League champions opted to keep Joe Gomez around last summer.