Liverpool have been rocked by an injury blow shortly before their pre-season friendly against AC Milan in Hong Kong today.
The Reds brought a 29-player squad with them to the Far East for their tour to Asia, with Federico Chiesa the high-profile omission as club chiefs felt that he’d be better off staying put on Merseyside for further assessment on a minor fitness issue (The Athletic).
While Hugo Ekitike has linked up with the group after completing his transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt this week, one of his new teammates has now flown back to England.
Joe Gomez sent home after pre-season injury blow
As reported by Paul Gorst for Liverpool Echo, Joe Gomez has left the LFC squad in Hong Kong due to a minor Achilles injury.
It was decided that, if he’s unlikely to be fit enough to play against Yokohoma F. Marinos in Japan on Wednesday, it’d be best for him to resume treatment at the AXA Training Centre.
The journalist added that, with Virgil van Dijk the only natural centre-back in the Reds’ starting XI today, Ryan Gravenberch is expected to partner his Dutch compatriot in defence.
In light of Gomez’s latest injury setback, Gorst pondered the rhetorical question: ‘A centre-half is needed this transfer window, surely?’
Gomez injury blow heightens the need for a centre-back signing
This body blow for Liverpool lays bare the dearth of centre-back options available to Arne Slot, with Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate now the only two senior players in that position.
For all the excellent work that Richard Hughes has done in the summer transfer window so far, that frightening reality must surely send a shiver up the spine of the Reds’ sporting director.
It seems perplexing that the first-team squad contains four goalkeepers, three left-backs and only three centre-backs, with one of the latter now ruled out until next month at a minimum.
The excitement over a potential big-money move for Alexander Isak is understandable, but Gomez’s injury blow must now make the addition of a central defender the utmost priority for the remainder of the transfer window.
It could be time to accelerate the reported pursuit of Marc Guehi so that we’re not left running the risk of repeating the dark days of 2020/21 when we had to deploy midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as an emergency centre-back pairing.
We should have learned from the past that Gomez’s can’t ever be trusted to stay fit for 30 days without injury.
It is ridiculous that we only have three established center backs. On top of that Gomez and Konate are injuries-prone, both get injured quite often. The lack of imagination and good planning here on the part of Slot, Hughes etc. is astonishing.
Dead right!!
You could not have said it better. I really hope we sign a strong centre-back similar to VVD, with good data and not injury-prone.
Very dramatic reporting is it not fair to say long before Joe’s injury a centre half was crucial to add to our squad. If ibou or VVD are out for any length of time is joe enough cover. No his not. I’d say relax and stop the dramatic headlines and let Hughes and Slott get on with it.
I said this before and will say it again here….LFC needs 3 defenders immediately!! On top of Isak and Fofana, they need a guy like Guehi (experience), Ousmane Diomande (game breaker and ball distributor, and he can partner Greyvenberch to break up play in midfield and on the flanks in a 4-2-3-1 formation) and Jorrel Hato for the future! It would be a huge blow if Chelsea would land Hato. LFC needs to up its defence period!!
Spot on
Yep Slot needs to sell Gomez now as he is injury prone and past it , slot needs at least 3 new back up defenders, but needs to get rid of Gomez first, and instruct Hughes to get 3 top class defenders, otherwise he will have issues at the back line big time!
We need a natural centre-back and Alexander Isak
Very dramatic reporting is it not fair to say long before Joe’s injury a centre half was crucial to add to our squad. If ibou or VVD are out for any length of time is joe enough cover. No his not. I’d say relax and stop the dramatic headlines and let Hughes and Slott get on with it.
It’s unbelievable that, in spite of the obvious problems we have at centre-back, Hughes and co are busy spending millions of £s on strikers.
How cld they took an injury prone Gomez with major issues to pre season tours,..Diaz already agreed personal terms with another club ready to leave,..Nunez on his way out as well bt opted to drop a player committed to the club like Chiesa claiming that he has a minor issue..what is that suppose to maen ?…who is worth to drop the one with the minor or with the major issues…obvious it’s the one with the major and those not committed to the team…bt Slot opted for the opposite…that’s b…..t.
Let’s not panic. I trust Hughes knows what he’s doing.