There was a slightly unexpected turn in the latest centre-back discussion, and it came from Arne Slot himself rather than the rumour mill.
Speaking to the press, the former Feyenoord coach was asked directly about the likelihood of us moving for a defender in the January window.
The 47-year-old smiled before admitting it was “one of the questions I didn’t expect”, adding that winter signings are “the last thing that’s on my mind, maybe not on Richard’s [Hughes], but it’s the last thing on my mind”.
That answer alone would have eased speculation, but the Dutchman then offered a list of centre-half options that raised eyebrows.
Liverpool centre-back depth questioned after Leoni injury
He explained that “we have at this moment in time, three centre backs [Van Dijk, Konate, Leoni]”, before correcting himself by adding Joe Gomez “of course”.
That reference to our England international might highlight the broader tactical flexibility the 28-year-old has shown, though the omission at first mention will spark discussion at how important Slot thinks Gomez is.
The real concern, however, is Giovanni Leoni being out for the long-term, leaving us effectively with two natural senior defenders for the position.
Our head coach also listed Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch as central defensive options, though he may not have everyone convinced with this idea.
The captain of Japan himself admitted this week that he “hasn’t played many games” and is “not completely satisfied”, though this chance for more game time would surely be snapped up by our No.3.
His ability to play as a makeshift centre-half could prove extremely helpful if the current situation forces creative solutions.
January transfer stance raises questions about Guehi and other targets
When asked specifically about Marc Guehi, the Dutchman simply said the topic “is not on my mind at the moment”.
That will not silence the ongoing talk, especially after the Crystal Palace captain came so close to joining us on deadline day, with Steele recently saying he was “99 per cent a Liverpool player”.
Our recruitment team remain admirers, and the need for another defender has only grown with Leoni unavailable.
Intriguingly, our boss added that “we have other positions at the moment which is a bit more of an issue”.
That line alone could spark an entire debate, particularly with speculation around versatile forwards like Antoine Semenyo quietly bubbling in the background.
For now, though, the message is that we’ll get through the next two months with what we have – even if the January window might end up busier than expected once those “other issues” become clearer.
You can view Slot’s pre-Nottingham Forest press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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Gomez’s situation does appear to be an elephant in the room with these current defensive issues.
Is he simply not as good as Ibou despite Ibou’s obvious dip in form ?
Surely nobody can be this much injured for so long.
I think it’s more of a trust issue. Gomez needs a run of games to get back to form. You can’t expect him to click immediately with van dijk after not playing for so long. And the bad thing is he is injury prone. Slot doesn’t have the luxury of a few trial games for Gomez especially with the current situation. I remember klopp had a situation when we had no senior center backs and he had to rely on many backup players which is definitely what we should avoid today.
If that’s the case over Gomez requiring game time, then Arne has to consider biting that bullet and selecting him if Ibou continues with his drop in form.
How many games with dropped points, due to defensive slips does he give it ?
Gomez may be injury prone, but so much we haven’t done him the career favour and moved him on ?
Getting a little Jamie Redknapp to many observers ?
If it’s a trust issue, then “as above” ?
I can recall Joe putting in a couple of superb performances at LB (vs West Ham ?) and a game at RB at Anfield when he was crossing like Trent.
That was after the infamous long-term injury at Burnley.
A fitter Joe G could save us a lot of transfer fee and get match-time value from what we already have.
Maybe time will tell ?