Liverpool head coach Arne Slot prior to the friendly against AC Milan at Kai Tak Sports Park on July 26 2025 in Hong Kong(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Seven and still going. Having been starved in recent years of new arrivals to the first-team squad, Liverpool supporters have been gorging on this summer’s record-breaking spending splurge.
The hunger, though, has never been greater for what they hope will be the next arrival as the Reds consider a sensational swoop for wantaway Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak.
But the fear nagging away at the back of the minds of fans amid all the fresh faces is that Liverpool are in danger of leaving Arne Slot short in a key area following the £35million sale of centre-back Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen.
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That was brought into sharp focus shortly before the disappointing 4-2 friendly defeat against AC Milan in Hong Kong when it emerged Joe Gomez had returned home to Merseyside to nurse an Achilles injury.
While Reds boss Slot insisted the problem was not a serious one, it was particularly troublesome timing given Gomez has made just one brief competitive appearance all year due to injury concerns the likes of which have hampered his decade at the club.
It left the Reds with just two senior centre-backs for the clash with Milan, as midfielder Ryan Gravenberch partnered skipper Virgil van Dijk in the first half before Ibrahima Konate was joined by left-back Kostas Tsimikas after the break.
With Wataru Endo injured and Alexis Mac Allister still regaining fitness after his injury earlier in the year, the defensive areas at the heart of both the backline and the midfield were compromised.
And Milan ruthlessly took advantage with three goals on the counter-attack against a Liverpool side who dominated possession comfortably but were far too loose defensively.
It didn’t help that Van Dijk spent a curious amount of time pressed high, but he wasn’t the only one. Small wonder, then, that Portuguese speedster Rafael Leao was a constant threat running into the wide open spaces, scoring Milan’s first, assisting the second and having a part in the build-up to the third. All were avoidable.
Pre-season is, of course, the time to iron out such kinks but the shortcoming in personnel has been obvious for a month.
The last time Liverpool went into the season as Premier League champions, they took the risk of having just three recognised centre-backs.
That gamble ultimately backfired in spectacular fashion.
Yes, Isak would be a more than welcome addition. However, he isn’t the immediate priority. Liverpool remain keen on Marc Guehi, who is in the last 12 months of his contract at Crystal Palace, but have been biding their time regards a move.
That may now have to accelerate. A new centre-back has become an imperative for Slot and Reds sporting director Richard Hughes.
