Top News

Arne Slot will have to toe the line and pretend he isn’t bothered by Manchester City landing Marc Guehi. He will say he is happy with his Liverpool squad and won’t comment on players at other teams.

But really, the Liverpool manager should be furious. Because his team has missed out on a top-class player who could have made all the difference. A player who would have changed things instantly. And a player who would not have even broken the bank.

City have landed Guehi from Crystal Palace for a fee which could reach £30million. Liverpool splashed out around £449m in transfer fees in the summer transfer window. That number would have only gone up marginally if their £35m deadline-day deal had gone through.

The fact it collapsed is not Liverpool’s fault. Palace chairman Steve Parish got cold feet at the last minute and pulled the plug, fearing the exit of their captain, without securing a replacement, could derail the Eagles’ season. In a cruel irony, his departure could still have that effect, with manager Oliver Glasner making his feelings plain in a remarkable rant over the weekend.

Some may argue that City have overpaid for Guehi. They have shelled out £30m for a player who could have joined for free when his Palace contract expired in the summer. But Pep Guardiola has been dealing with an injury crisis in central defence and the City hierarchy acted, signing a 25-year-old international who already has oodles of Premier League experience. They are rightly delighted with the capture.

FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FB PAGE! Latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

• Marc Guehi completes Man City move and outlines simple reason behind £30m transfer

• Marc Guehi rubs salt in Liverpool wounds immediately after £30m Man City deal announced

But it is a hammer blow for Liverpool. And one which undermines Slot’s own ethos on transfers. “We would have liked to sign him, of course, because we were in for him,” Slot said in September when asked about the collapsed Guehi deal.

“Like I’ve said many times, if we feel we can strengthen the team with a chance in the market, we never hesitate to do so. That’s what we tried to do.”

Hesitating is exactly what Liverpool did this month. And not only have they missed out on the chance to strengthen their squad, they have allowed one of their closest rivals to improve theirs.

Liverpool have relied almost solely upon Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate in central defence over the past few years. The serious knee injury suffered by Giovanni Leoni was extremely unfortunate. But considering Joe Gomez’s patchy injury record, their failure to add further depth is negligence.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Liverpool have challenged Manchester City for Marc Guehi's signature this month? Comment below.

It has meant that Konate has zero pressure on his position. A dodgy performance isn’t costly – and there have been a lot of those this season – because there is no-one else banging on the manager’s door to take his place. “Ryan [Gravenberch] and Wata[ru Endo] that can play there, so it’s not like all of a sudden we don’t have options anymore,” Slot argued in September.

They have options, but certainly not those worthy of defending Premier League champions.

“I am really happy with the squad we have,” Slot stated earlier this month when asked if Liverpool would compete for Guehi once more. “All the decisions made last summer and the summer before are completely aligned with me, Richard [Hughes] and the ownership. This season has shown how talented this group is and if everyone is available how good a team we can be.”

He really is protesting too much. There is no way Slot is actually satisfied with the current options available to him. Surely nothing changed between September and January. So why didn’t Liverpool act?

Guehi could have been a timely boost. An undeniable upgrade. The blame for him ending up at City lies squarely with Fenway Sports Group and it could prove costly in the final months of this season.

Join our LFC WhatsApp community and get all the latest LFC news, views, transfer gossip and more, as it happens We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.