Liverpool are considered to only be able to defend the Premier League title if they add one defender in January 2021. Liverpool have made a pretty good start in the 2020-2021 Premier League. The Reds went through the initial eight games with five wins, two draws and one defeat. They are now ranked eighth in the Premier League standings with a collection of 17 points.
Juergen Klopp’s troops are only two points adrift of Leicester City at the top of the standings. However, Liverpool is not without problems. They are now being hit by a hurricane of injuries. The back row is in the spotlight. Two of their center backs, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez were badly injured and had to be sidelined for a long time.
Van Dijk injured his knee when he faced Everton in the Premier League last October. The Dutch defender has undergone surgery and will be sidelined until next year. Gomez received the same injury during training with the England national team at this international break. Gomez is expected to be out until the end of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
Liverpool now only have Joel Matip and Nathaniel Philips at the central defender post. Like it or not, the Reds will have to shop for a new center-back in the January 2021 transfer market. If not, Liverpool’s chances of retaining the Premier League title could fade. This opinion came from the mouth of former Liverpool center back, Jamie Carragher.
“I think Liverpool should buy a center-back in January. They really need it,” Carragher said. “They have an injury problem at center-back. If they can solve it in January, I think Liverpool are still the favorites,” added Carragher.
Same opinion was expressed by Liverpool defender in the 1980s era, Steve Nicol, in his interview with ESPN FC recently. “Without Van Dijk, Liverpool’s chances of winning were down 20-25 from before. Joe Gomez, at 23 years of age, has had two major operations. The likelihood of recurrence is increasing,” he added.
“These conditions force them to move fast. Liverpool should buy Dayot Upamecano.”, mentioned Nicol. Currently, Liverpool are linked with two strong defenders, namely Dayot Upamecano (RP Leipzig) and Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli).
