Liverpool will be fervently hoping to sign at least one of Alexander Isak or Marc Guehi before the transfer window shuts next Monday evening.
The Reds have been strongly linked with both players for the past several weeks, but they’ve yet to bid for the Crystal Palace defender and have had one offer for the Newcastle striker turned down.
The Telegraph‘s Luke Edwards reported on Tuesday that the Sweden international remains adamant that he wants to leave St James’ Park despite an attempted intervention by Magpies chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and a delegation from the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein have both indicated that Liverpool is Guehi’s preferred destination if he’s to leave Selhurst Park in the coming days.
Jeff Stelling insists Liverpool must prioritise Guehi
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jeff Stelling emphatically declared that, of those two players, the Palace captain is of far greater need to the Reds than Isak, based on how we’ve started the season.
The former Soccer Saturday host said: “His [Arne Slot’s] bigger concern is what he does with his defence, and for me, whatever the asking price is for Marc Guehi, then Liverpool need to go out and buy him today.”
Guehi or Isak for Liverpool? Or could it be neither?
A cogent argument could be made that LFC need to add both of those players before Monday’s deadline, but realistically it’s hard to imagine more than one coming to Anfield in such a short space of time.
In terms of the current composition of the squad, Liverpool have four centre-backs and only one natural centre-forward, which’d suggest that Isak ought to be the priority. An injury to Hugo Ekitike could necessitate moving Mo Salah or Cody Gakpo centrally, or playing Florian Wirtz as a false 9.
However, a bad start to the season defensively for the Reds (two goals conceded in all three games so far) leaves Slot with much to ponder in that area of the pitch, and Ibrahima Konate has come in for some strong criticism over his recent performances, which have been well short of his usual standards.
A poll conducted by Empire of the Kop on X shows a narrow leaning towards Guehi when fans were asked whether they’d sign him or Isak if given the choice of just one before next Monday, which suggests that many supporters share Stelling’s concerns about LFC at the back.
The Palace captain – labelled an ‘absolute gem‘ by ex-Rangers boss Michael Beale – would require a much more reasonable financial commitment with a reported asking price of £45m, compared to the £150m that Newcastle are demanding for the Swedish striker.
That the duo have 10 months and three years remaining on their respective contracts is undoubtedly a factor in those valuations, but at present, the Eagles defender would appear to be the more realistic signing in the coming days. As ever, we entrust Richard Hughes to make the correct call.
But let’s wait until the last minute of the window. Who’s strategy was that? Willing to sacrifice half of the season for players where the start of the season is just as improtant. Make no sense why Liverpool would use this strategy. Absolutely NO sense. We need we need CB’s – so we lay back and wait for them to walk in? What use is it to spend 300m on players who need are pressed to equalize every game because we concede too many goals??????
LFC NEED TO GET GUEHI TODAY, PAY £40MTO IMMEDIATELY STRENGTHEN THE DEFENCE I’D PLAY HIM AGAINST ARSENAL, THEN BID £135M FOR ISAK AND GET THAT DONE YNWA
Yes we absolutely must prioritise Guehi. “Get him today” – I like that and that is what we must do.
Get BOTH!!… LFC have been chasing Isak for years now, and Guehi is a must have right now!! Sign both ASAP.
Please LFC… buy Guehi and either sell Konate or leave him to warm the bench until he leaves to go to the bench at Madrid like Trent