There's an acceptance in hindsight that Liverpool's winning start to the 2025/26 campaign glazed over problems that have since festered and laid waste to Arne Slot's second season.
Too many things have gone wrong on Merseyside, and while you could name any number of problems that have contributed toward this challenging campaign, the Reds's lack of balance and depth in central defence has arguably been the crux of the startling fall-off.
The Premier League title is out of reach, but Liverpool still scramble to reprise their role in the Champions League theatre.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot-2
The ramifications of missing out on Europe's elite competition would be severe, and all the uncertainty has perhaps played into Ibrahima Konate's thinking as he inches toward the end of his time on Merseyside.
Ibrahima Konate's Liverpool future
Konate's defensive disaster at RAMS Park on Tuesday evening has fanned flames that had flickered out over the past several months, with the French centre-back recovering some of his finer form to help guide Liverpool away from their nadir.
But Konate still has a mistake in him, and he was caught out on numerous occasions as Liverpool were defeated by Galatasaray in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the Champions League.
Ibrahima Konate for Liverpool-1
He's out of contract in the summer and likely to leave, but FSG have technically replaced him, adding Jeremy Jacquet to the ranks for a £60m fee. The Rennes defender will complete his move in July.
Moreover, Giovanni Leoni, who joined Liverpool from Parma for £27m last summer only to get injured on his debut, is expected to return this calendar year, and will play a big part in 2026/27.
With Jacquet and Leoni bound to play important roles for the club next year, Konate's departure doesn't feel so worrying, especially when considering the additional work that Richard Hughes and co have completed in setting Liverpool's backline up for many years to come.
Liverpool have signed teen with "Van Dijk vibes"
Liverpool haven't been sturdy enough in defence over the past several years, and that's a result of neglected transfer investment in recent years.
Liverpool: Goals Conceded in the Premier League
Season
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24/25
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20/21
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18/19
In all likelihood, Liverpool are going to concede 40+ goals for the fifth time in six seasons, illustrating enduring porousness in defence that needs fixing.
Jacquet and co are viewed as solutions, but Ifeanyi Ndukwe could emerge as one of the centrepieces of the new age too. Liverpool agreed a £2m move to sign him from Austria Vienna back in January, although he will not officially head to Anfield until this summer.
The 18-year-old is part of a concerted defensive rebuild, Liverpool stocking themselves for the future. He will join the club this summer, and while he won't become a mainstay from the get-go, there's a weight of expectation around his name, a hope that he will not only replace Konate but take on Virgil van Dijk's role well down the line.
The teenager has yet to make his first-team debut in Austria, but he's an accomplished youth star who needs only a final push in regard to his youth development to grow into his skin as a senior star.
In 2025, the confident youngster said, "In five years I'll be playing professionally in the Premier League." It looks like that might come sooner, with analyst Raj Chohan even suggesting he's an "elite talent" with "Van Dijk vibes".
Liverpool's all-powerful captain has still been a defensive focal point this season, but he turns 35 in July so it's understandable that the Anfield side are planning for the future.
Virgil-Van-Dijk-Liverpool
Konate has been a stalwart for Liverpool, instrumental through a title-winning spell in the club's long and rich history. However, he's clearly interested in leaving on a free transfer this summer, and with Hughes and co having placed such an emphasis on
Ndukwe might not be a household name in Merseyside right now, but he's got the potential to become a superstar, and with the likes of Jacquet and Leoni sure to play important roles next year, it might actually be worth cutting ties with Konate instead of making him one of the highest earners at Anfield.
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