Liverpool are pondering their transfer options - and should a move for a new full-back be towards the top of their list of priorities?
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola during a training session at AXA Training Centre on July 7 2026
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola during a training session at AXA Training Centre on July 7 2026(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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The transfer window keeps ticking along but Liverpool are primarily keeping their cards close to their chest. Particularly when it comes to reinforcements in certain positions.
Spain international winger Victor Munoz and France under-21 centre-back Jeremy Jacquet are the only fresh faces in the squad, with new Reds head coach Andoni Iraola still waiting for further reinforcements ahead of pre-season beginning at the start of next week.
Given Liverpool struggled for numbers at times last season, most notably at right-back, the lack of incomings has become a slight cause for concern among supporters.
And with Andy Robertson among those to have departed, the Reds face a decision over whether to strengthen their full-back positions. Our ECHO writers assess what they think should happen.
Ian Doyle
Liverpool simply didn't have enough numbers last season. Well, at least a sufficient amount of players trusted by then head coach Arne Slot and the recruitment team to make a positive difference to the squad.
It was the same the previous campaign, although a much easier ride regards injuries and not having to integrate a host of new players meant it was never really seen as an issue.
So the Reds really can't afford to go into a third successive campaign with worries about a lack of personnel niggling away at the back of the mind of new head coach Andoni Iraola.
Nobody is saying stockpile talent. But common sense points to the fact Liverpool really could do with one more experienced versatile defender at Iraola's disposal - preferably one who can operate in either full-back position.
Now, they don't come cheap, but there are certainly plenty around who could do the job. And they will be more than worth their outlay should they ease the burden on those already at the club, most notably at right-back.
For Liverpool not to so do would already ramp up the pressure on Iraola before he has barely got his feet under the table at Anfield.
Mark Jones
Outside of scoring goals from set-pieces, if there's one thing that you can learn from the current Arsenal side it is the importance of having loads of defenders.
And it isn't even that Mikel Arteta has more than he knows what to do with, because he knows he can do several things with them.
As well as the usual centre-back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba, the best in the Premier League last season, the Gunners boss has Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White, Piero Hincapie, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly to call upon, all of whom can play in multiple positions, including full-back.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have specialist full-backs in Milos Kerkez, Kostas Tsimikas and the injured Conor Bradley, as well as Jeremie Frimpong whose versatility is purely based around his attacking intentions.
They also have Joe Gomez, periodically, and it is Gomez that they should look to when considering new defensive recruits. Because they basically need younger, fitter Joe Gomezes.
That ability cover across multiple defensive positions, potentially all of them, is what the Reds should be seeking, as their small squad is currently in desperate need of reinforcements.
Those players are out there, and Liverpool would be wise to pick one, or maybe two of them up.
Richard Garnett
You only have to look at how many different players were deployed at right-back for Liverpool last season to recognise that it is a problem position. And while I am a huge Conor Bradley fan, he has not yet made that position completely his own, and his lack of availability last season was a real issue.
If Iraola does not consider Jeremie Frimpong to be the answer as a Bradley alternative, then he needs to go right-back shopping, as getting through the season with Bradley and stop-gaps alone just isn't enough.
Trouble is, he now has a similar issue at left-back after the club waved goodbye to Andy Robertson in the summer. Does Kostas Tsimikas really fancy another season back at Anfield playing second fiddle? I doubt it.
That suggests that Liverpool need to buy two full-backs this summer, whether they are first-choice starters or not, but there is an alternative option - sign someone who can play both positions. The Roy Evans team of the mid-90s had exactly that when they had the brilliant Rob Jones in their ranks, but I have already written previously about how the Reds could provide a similar solution by re-signing Neco Williams from Nottingham Forest.
The Welshman would provide genuine competition for Bradley and Milos Kerkez and would be my bargain pick for both positions. Failing that, Iraola must ensure he has adequate cover on either flank or he could fall foul of the same issues endured by his predecessor last season.
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