‘Wouldn’t be surprised if…’ – Reporter teases January transfer ‘possibilities’ for Liverpool

27.11.2023 22:32

Empire of The Kop

Neil Jones has said that Liverpool can afford to wait for ‘the right signing’ when it comes to bringing in a new centre-back. The January transfer window is only five weeks away, and with the midfield very much revamped over the summer, the focus for the winter market seems likely to be on defensive additions. […]

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Neil Jones has said that Liverpool can afford to wait for ‘the right signing’ when it comes to bringing in a new centre-back.

The January transfer window is only five weeks away, and with the midfield very much revamped over the summer, the focus for the winter market seems likely to be on defensive additions.

The Reds have been linked with the likes of Goncalo Inacio and Gabriel Moscardo in recent weeks, but the journalist hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a defender coming in, he insists Jorg Schmadtke doesn’t need to rush into making a signing for the sake of it.

Speaking to Empire of the Kop’s Substack, Jones said: “Because you’re not in a position where you’re looking for someone to come in and plug a gap, you can really focus on the right signing.”

The reporter continued: “There have been a number of players linked, including Gabriel Moscardo (18) of Corinthians. I’m not suggesting the club will definitely be in for him but if it’s someone of that ilk – a really young lad from South America – that’s an option!

“Or if it’s a longer term player (it’s highly unlikely to be either, but let’s say a Levi Colwill or a Piero Hincapie for example) who suddenly became available. I’d lean on the negative side of that one at the moment but a lot depends on what the injury side of things is like come January.

“What [Luis] Diaz showed as well, and maybe it’s different when buying an attacker as opposed to a defender, was that buying a player who isn’t necessarily filling a gap can still give everyone a tangible lift. It might be a bit different with a fifth or sixth-choice centre-half as opposed to a jet-heeled forward, of course!

“Nonetheless, they are possibilities and I wouldn’t be surprised if Liverpool did something in January but it would have to be the right player now. It’s not necessarily about Liverpool fixing a problem in the upcoming window, it’s about looking at a longer term solution.”

Jones is right in saying that, while Liverpool will have to look at centre-back additions in the longer-term as Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk are both 32, they don’t need to rush into buying one in January unless they’re certain they’ve hit upon the perfect candidate.

That said, it’d be foolish to dismiss the possibility of a new face being brought in to supplement that part of the squad – look at how the mid-season acquisitions of Diaz and Cody Gakpo came out of the blue.

On both occasions, the Reds spotted a player who seemed the perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp’s side and duly pounced.

Perhaps the same will happen when it comes to a new centre-back being signed in January, and it’s a transfer window in which Liverpool have often done splendid business. In addition to the aforementioned duo, think back to Virgil van Dijk, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho.

Don’t hold your breath for a central defensive signing in the winter, but if Schmadtke does make a move for one, you can be sure that the player in question is someone on whom the Anfield hierarchy will have done their due diligence.

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