The January transfer window is now open, and Liverpool could be in for a bustling period. Despite significant summer spending on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, head coach Arne Slot might still be on the lookout for new talent if the right opportunity arises. Liverpool’s attacking options are currently limited due to Mohamed Salah’s Africa Cup of Nations commitments and a long-term injury to Isak.
The need for reinforcements has been further amplified by injuries to Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez, leaving the Reds’ defence depleted. However, Liverpool have received encouraging news regarding their interest in Marc Guehi, after a failed summer move. Let’s delve into the latest updates at Anfield.
Marc Guehi boost
Crystal Palace’s head coach, Oliver Glasner, has confessed he is unsure over whether Guehi will stay at the club during the January transfer window. Liverpool were on the brink of securing the England centre-back on the final day of the summer transfer window, but the deal fell through at the eleventh hour.
Liverpool had agreed a £35 million fee with Palace, and Guehi even underwent a medical. The 25-year-old defender’s contract expires at the end of the 2025/26 season, and he has no plans to renew his agreement with the Eagles.
Whilst there has been minimal activity regarding Liverpool’s renewed pursuit of Guehi thus far, Glasner has acknowledged he remains uncertain about his captain’s fate this month, providing the Reds with encouragement that a transfer could come to fruition.
Discussing Guehi’s future, Glasner said: “You will ask me all these questions again and again and again. I need to find one answer. I will always tell you the same, as long as I don’t know anything else.
“Because, believe me, if I knew something. I would tell you. So I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what will happen with Marc [Guehi]. I don’t know what will happen with new players, and I don’t know what will happen with JP [Jean-Philippe Mateta], I don’t know anything.”
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate remain Liverpool’s sole available centre-back choices at present. Gomez is currently injured and summer acquisition Leoni has been ruled out for the entire campaign with an ACL injury.
First transfer confirmed
James Norris has completed a permanent transfer to Shelbourne. The 22-year-old defender has been on loan with the League of Ireland Premier Division club since February.
The move brings to an end Norris’s lengthy connection with his boyhood club. The Liverpool-born talent joined the academy at Under-9 level.
He progressed through the youth system to earn two first-team appearances. His debut arrived in December 2019, aged 16, when he came on as a substitute in the 5-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final loss at Aston Villa.
He became the fourth-youngest player in Liverpool’s history at that time.
Norris’ second and final appearance for Liverpool’s first team occurred in January 2022 when he was substituted on during injury time in the 4-1 FA Cup third-round victory at home against Shrewsbury Town.
A club spokesperson said: “Everyone at Liverpool FC wishes James the best of luck for the future.”
Several promising talents from Liverpool’s academy could now be under consideration for loan moves this month, with players such as Trent Kone-Doherty, Rhys Williams, Kieran Morrison and Calvin Ramsay all potential departures.