:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67788476/1280730629.0.jpg)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not typically one to dive into the transfer market because of an injury crisis. Then again, no one expected Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to go down with season-ending injuries within weeks of each other.
If the Reds can make it to January, and they’re still in contention for one or more trophies, it might be worth the gamble, especially considering the departure of fourth-choice center back Dejan Lovren in the summer. The question then becomes, “who?”
According to the various rumor mongers, there are no shortage of contenders for Klopp and Michael Edwards to consider.
Ruben Semedo, the 26-year-old defender from Olympiakos, quickly became linked to the Reds after Gomez’s injury. Given the recent addition of former Olympiakos fullback Kostas Tsimikas to the squad, this rumor might make some sort of sense. However, there is a rather major consideration—one that would likely make him decidedly not a “Klopp player”—his criminal history. In 2018 he was involved with two separate violent incidents, and even ended up serving time in prison.
So, Semedo doesn’t seem likely.
Other sources point to Schalke’s Ozan Kabak, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ben White, and RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano.
The decision to not sign a Lovren replacement in the summer seemed like a mistake at the time, and now we could really pay for it.
There are 9 Premier League matches between now and the start of the January transfer window (including the January 2nd match against Southampton, for which any theoretical incoming player would be ineligible to play).
If Liverpool are still within touching distance of the top of the league, it might be worth splashing the cash for the right player. Also, Liverpool’s success in the first three matches of the Champions League Group Stage makes it very likely that they will be playing in the knockouts, starting in February.
So. Liverpool are probably at the very least looking at defenders. Whether they are anyone mentioned above, a Mikey E Special, or no one at all is anyone’s guess.