Liverpool signed £446million worth of players in the summer transfer window, but Jamie Carragher believes they need to add more in January.
Jamie Carragher has urged Liverpool to spend even more money when the transfer window reopens in January and solve their centre-back problems.
Liverpool signed £446 million worth of players in the summer transfer window, bringing in Alexander Isak in a record £125 million move from Newcastle United and signing Florian Wirtz for £100 million from Bayer Leverkusen.
Isak and Wirtz struggled to justify the expense. Neither has contributed to a Premier League goal for Liverpool, who are eight points behind Arsenal.
A successful defense of last season’s title win already seems unlikely, with a defense that has already scored 17 league goals this campaign one of the main reasons for Liverpool’s inability to keep pace at the top.
For all their additions in the attacking areas and at the back, where Jérémie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have arrived, Liverpool have not properly addressed the heart of their defense.
Giovanni Leoni arrived from Parma, but the 19-year-old suffered a torn ACL on his debut for the club. Liverpool had agreed a deal to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace on deadline day itself, but that deal fell through due to the Eagles’ inability to sign a replacement.
Liverpool’s season on the verge of derailment
While winning the Premier League may be too much to ask of Liverpool, they can still aim for success in the Champions League and FA Cup.
And former centre-back Carragher believes they should invest more to support their efforts in these competitions.
“Liverpool need to spend in January, they need to buy a centre-back, they should have bought a centre-back in the summer,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“They didn’t, and then the only central defender they bought, Leoni, a young Italian player, looked fantastic in the game he played, a Carabao Cup game. Unfortunately he injured his ACL, so we won’t see him until next season.
“Liverpool are probably one centre-back injury away from really derailing the season, so they need to go to market in January.”
Carragher reveals Liverpool head scratcher
Liverpool’s level of spending has raised many eyebrows following their dominance in the Premier League last season.
Yet Carragher felt the level of spending was justified given the number of departing players who were clearly not in favor of manager Arne Slot.
“I think they needed to sign this number of players over the summer. I can review last season’s team – [Kostas] Tsimikas, the manager didn’t really have confidence in him, so we had to buy a left back.
“[Jarrell] Quansah left, the manager didn’t really have confidence in him. They brought in a young player, Leoni, but they still need another body.
“They had to replace Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. Harvey Elliott left, but again the manager didn’t have much confidence in him, so we went and bought another No.10 in Wirtz.
Yet Carragher was perplexed by the decision to sign Isak after already bringing in Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.
“[Darwin] Nunez, the manager never had confidence in him, so we just went and brought in Isak, and obviously we have the tragic situation of Diogo Jota,” Carragher added.
“But in terms of significant spending for Isak and [Hugo] Ekitike, who both played the same position, both in the same summer, it was a little moment where I scratched my head a little.
“When you’ve spent that kind of money, and it becomes one or the other… It doesn’t seem very similar to Liverpool to me, or certainly to the way we’ve gone about our transfer business over the last few years.”
