Liverpool plans surprise move for former Premier League star to help with Andoni Iraola situation
Liverpool have reached out to a former Premier League player as Andoni Iraola is already dealing with injury problems in his squad. Iraola took over from Arne Slot in June, after the Dutch coach only just secured Champions League football in the last weeks of the previous season.
So far this summer, Liverpool haven’t made many big signings despite a tough season. Victor Munoz and Jeremey Jacquet are the only new players, with Jacquet’s move from Rennes being agreed back in January. Meanwhile, some important players have left Anfield, including Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate, and Andy Robertson.
While Salah and Robertson’s departures were expected, Konate’s switch to Real Madrid came as a surprise and disrupted Liverpool’s transfer plans. Currently, after Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, the Reds only have 21-year-old Jacquet and 19-year-old Giovanni Leoni (who is recovering from a serious knee injury) as centre-back options.
Van Dijk hasn’t yet joined pre-season after playing in the World Cup for the Netherlands, and Gomez got injured in a 4-2 win over Sunderland last week. Iraola said, “The worst news was losing Joe right away. We were happy training without any injuries, but unfortunately, we lost Joe straight away.”
Gomez has faced many injuries during his time at Liverpool, and this new setback adds to Iraola’s worries.
According to Tuto Juve, Liverpool knows how important it is to sign the right defenders. They have contacted AC Milan about Fikayo Tomori, who fans may remember from his time at Chelsea before moving to Serie A in 2021. His contract runs until 2027, and talks about a possible transfer fee are underway. Tomori has been a key player for Milan, helping them win their first Serie A title in 11 years in 2022.
New Milan coach Ruben Amorim isn’t fully convinced by Tomori and might be open to selling him now. Juventus are also interested in the defender.
There’s no doubt Liverpool are short on defenders. Youngsters Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ife Ndukwe, both 18, started against Wrexham, and right-back Luke Chambers also stepped in. However, Ndukwe can’t play in the Premier League this season because he doesn’t yet meet UK work permit rules.
When asked about bringing in new defenders, Iraola said: “No, right now, as you’ve seen, we’re pretty thin at centre-back. We don’t have Virgil yet. The only centre-backs we have are Mor and Ife, both 18 and new to the club, and they’re doing really well. Luke Chambers isn’t a centre-back, but he played really well. We’ll have to manage until more players recover. Jeremy Jacquet is ready, and we expect Virgil back soon. I’m happy that against Sunderland and Wrexham — both good teams — our young defenders showed calmness and strength at the back, which is really positive.”