This has been a thrilling transfer window for Liverpool. I would even go so far as to argue that it’s the most exciting such window of my adult lifetime. Although we now know the result was folly, I can’t pretend not to have been incredibly excited when the Reds signed Andy Carroll, spending such a huge amount of money on a player. We have easily surpassed that this time around, though, and have done so whilst strengthening most of the areas that needed to be strengthened. The fact that we were able to prize Florian Wirtz away from the expected move to Bayern Munich is a sign that Liverpool are back as one of the best teams in the world, whilst links to the signing of Rodrygo from Real Madrid is a suggestion that Los Blancos aren’t quite the force that we have all come to fear from recent experience. Bringing in Jeremie Frimpong as a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold was a masterstroke, given how exciting he looks and what a foil to Conor Bradley he is likely to be.
Liverpool have spent close to £300m on new signings this summer and their sales could bring in up to £129m — with other players set to leave too.
Arne Slot said the club “won’t hesitate” if another opportunity presents itself during a “historic” transfer window for the Premier League champions.
— The Athletic | Football (@theathleticfc.bsky.social) 31 July 2025 at 10:31
I am also convinced that there is more still to come. Anyone with even just the slightest interest in the Reds will be more than aware of the saga around Aleksander Isak, with the Swedish international now back at Newcastle United but reportedly having been sent to train with the reserves by Eddie Howe. I personally am of the opinion that we need two more in attack, given the extreme likelihood of both Darwin Núñez and Federico Chiesa to leave this summer. We effectively had six options last season, which would drop to three if we don’t sign Isak and the signings dry up in attack. When you consider the fact that Mo Salah is off to the Africa Cup of Nations, it means that we will be extremely depleted in December and January if all we do in the forward options from here is sign Isak, let alone if he doesn’t end up arriving at Anfield. It is hard, therefore, to envision a world in which Richard Hughes is done and dusted on a transfer front, before we even talk about the defence.
Our Central Defensive Options Are Worrisome
The injury record of Ibrahima Konaté has been worrisome for some time. The French centre-back is a player who picks up muscle injuries far too regularly, even if he was largely fine last season. Although Arne Slot and his backroom team arrived with the confidence of being able to get players fitter for longer, the likelihood remains that Konaté will miss at least some of the forthcoming campaign. If that happens at the wrong time, bearing in mind that you can never choose when a player gets injured, it could result in him missing a large number of matches. Add into that the fact that Virgil van Dijk is now 34 and you can see a world in which the central defence is Liverpool’s Achilles heel next season. During pre-season, Slot has used all of Wataru Endō, Andy Robertson and Ryan Gravenberch in the centre-back position, but I don’t think anyone wants to see any of those players taking up the role for a prolonged period of time in 2025-2026, including the manager.
Don’t listen to the nonsense from the media Liverpool should never sign Gordon. Rio is better than him in my opinion. Use that money and strengthen the defence or get another DM.
— al196.bsky.social (@al196.bsky.social) 28 July 2025 at 13:38
Personally, I would be looking for two central defenders before the window closes. Although I would have both of them be senior names, I can absolutely understand why it is that Slot might be looking for one senior player and one less experienced one. Although Joe Gomez’s name will always be mentioned, the truth of the matter is that the centre-back has to be seen as a luxury player, given his own well-documented problems with injuries. In many ways, he is the proof of why it is that Slot and his coaches’ ability to keep players fit for long periods can’t be depended upon. Then you need to think about the possibility of a Jordan Pickford-esque tackle coming in on one of our senior centre-backs and ruling them out for the majority of the campaign. I am a natural pessimist and hope that I am proven to be completely wrong when it comes to my concerns over the defence, but if there is one area of the Liverpool squad that I fear could derail our season, it’s centre-back.
Guehí Shouldn’t be the Answer
It is important to acknowledge that we can never know what someone means when they carry out an action. As Crystal Palace captain, however, we know that Marc Guehí was asked to wear the rainbow armband during the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign. He did so, but wrote ‘I love Jesus’ on the armband when the club played Newcastle United. Days later, after having been wanted by the Football Association that religious messaging was not allowed, he again wore the armband but wrote ‘Jesus loves you’ on it. Speaking on the matter himself, the players said, “The message was just a message of truth and love and inclusivity to be honest. I don’t think the message was harmful in any way; that’s all I can really say about that to be honest.” Fair enough, you might think. Yet it is also easy to see it is a homophobic message, given the fact that he has never chosen to write such a message on a non-rainbow armband and we know that some religions are against the LGBTQ+ community.
Hearing Liverpool want to replace Jarell Quansah with Marc Guehi is rough. I’d rather have an imperfect rough diamond who came from the academy than an England player who scrawls on a rainbow armband. Liverpool as a club has always welcomed LGBTQ+ fans; new signings need to do the same.
#Liverpool
— Sascha (@saschalumi.bsky.social) 20 June 2025 at 11:32
If that isn’t enough, perhaps you can take something from the words of Guehí’s own father, a pastor, speaking about the matter. He said, “Marc said ‘Yes’ and did the right thing by wearing it, but people are having a go at him for what he wrote. He accepted to wear the armband; he was just trying to balance the message. He was saying, ‘You gave me the armband, as a Christian I don’t believe in your cause, but I will put it on’.” It is hard to see the words ‘balance the message’ and ‘I don’t believe in your cause’ as a ringing endorsement for LGBTQ+ rights. As a football club, I believe the Liverpool have a responsibility towards the LGBTQ+ community, which is under attack more now than in recent years thanks to the appalling transphobia driven by the likes of J. K. Rowling. Signing a player who has gone out of his way to make a stance that it is almost impossible to see as anything other than homophobic is not something that I can even begin to get behind.
