Due to the departure of Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool have just four senior centre-backs on their books. With two still recovering from injury, are the Reds’ defensive options really sufficient?
Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet – these are the four first-team centre-halves with which Liverpool are set to begin Andoni Iroala’s first campaign in charge.
One is excellent but aged 34 and has a year left on his contract, another cannot be relied on due to injuries, and the remaining two are young, have no Premier League experience and are still recovering from injuries.
With no reports of Liverpool signing a centre-half imminently, are Iraola’s options at centre-back really enough?
How Andoni Iraola wants his centre-backs to play
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - Saturday, March 11, 2023: Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi during the FA Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth won 1-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Iraola cannot come to Liverpool expecting to replicate his Bournemouth formula and find success. Tweaks will have to be made and adjustments learned.
As a general rule, though, his full-backs should be play very high and wide, leaving his defenders with more space to cover.
The likes of Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi excelled at this for the Cherries, earning big moves to Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain as a result.
The pair were also good on the ball, a skill that Iraola needs from his defenders.
This isn’t hugely different from Arne Slot, as the Dutchman wanted his centre-halves to break lines with punchy passing.
Iraola, though, likes a defender who can carry the ball too. This season, Marcos Senesi was his man for the job.
The Argentine has moved to Tottenham on a free this summer after notching five assists this season, and he was one of the few defenders loosely linked to Liverpool before the transfer was agreed.
Do Liverpool’s defenders suit Andoni Iraola?
It goes without saying that Van Dijk goes straight into the starting XI, no matter the manager.
Liverpool do have to consider how his ability as he gets older, however. The captain is no longer blessed with extraordinary recovery pace and needs some level of protection.
At the moment, the Reds have no real defensive-minded midfielder, and with Milos Kerkez bombing on to his left, Iraola will need to find a way to ensure Van Dijk is not exposed.
Meanwhile, Joe Gomez could easily adapt to Iraola’s style in theory, but injury problems mean he simply can’t be treated as a prospective starter for any length of time.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Monday, March 9, 2026: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez during a training session at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg match between Galatasaray Sk and Liverpool FC. (Photo by Jessica Hornby/Propaganda)
Therefore, the pre-scheduled arrival of Jeremy Jacquet could be a blessing for the manager.
Known as fast, relatively comfortable on the ball and as more of a sweeper than a front-foot defender, Jacquet could well be viewed as Van Dijk’s long-term replacement.
4 centre-halves might not be enough
For next season, though, Liverpool have a key problem – and this applies to Giovanni Leoni, too – can we really expect youngsters to play 50 games a season?
Especially two youngsters who have missed large parts of this season through shoulder and ACL problems, respectively.
For some the answer will be, yes, if they are good enough then they are old enough.
In modern football, though, rotation plays an important role, even at centre-half; the Reds will need more than Jacquet and Van Dijk to get through the season successfully.
A very similar argument can be made about Leoni.
While the 81 minutes we saw him play were excellent, the reality of recovering from an ACL injury means that he, too, cannot be relied upon to play consistently.
For some clubs, this might be deemed OK. Liverpool have three centre-halves plus the versatile Gomez to switch between.
However, the Reds want to compete now. That doesn’t mean the younger players should be cast aside completely. There is a strong argument that Leoni, if he had been fit, should have even been starting Slot last season.
But there is merit in having more experience around, especially in defence.
Van Dijk fulfils his leadership role well, but after a year in which he played more minutes than anyone else in Europe’s top leagues, his game time will need to be managed in cup competitions.
One injury to Leoni or Jacquet, plus the inevitable absence of Gomez for a period, leaves Liverpool extremely light.
There are promising players in the academy – Mor Talla Ndiaye and Wellity Lucky should both be on the US pre-season tour – but there isn’t yet anyone breaking the door down for a place in the senior squad.
The issue with Liverpool’s defensive options may not be the quality of their starters, it is the lack of depth.
It was interesting to note that Jacquet didn’t have a squad number confirmed with his signing on July 1, when he could have taken the No. 5.
Perhaps that indicates there could be another name joining the ranks this window. More likely, his shirt number will just be announced at a later date.
With other positions taking priority, like the right-wing, we wouldn’t expect Liverpool to spend a large sum on a fifth centre-back this summer.
However, if a player that fits the right profile came along for a good price, don’t be surprised to see Liverpool move swiftly.