Liverpool have confirmed on their official website that Joe Gomez has suffered a knee injury while training with England during this international break. Even though the Merseyside club are yet to discover the extent of the injury, yet the early reports suggest that Gomez is fearing that he could miss the remainder of this campaign which will be a massive blow for the Reds.
With Virgil Van Dijk also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines while both Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold still out injured, Jurgen Klopp is currently short of options in his defensive department. The German head coach’s best hope now would be to devise a strategy to get to January using the services of Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams before bringing in some emergency reinforcements during the winter transfer period.
Following Gomez’s injury blow, here are three defenders that Liverpool should consider recruiting when the transfer window reopens at the start of next year.
David Alaba
Alaba is currently in the last year of his contract with Bayern Munich and could be available for a cut-price fee in January. However, the Austrian centre-half’s salary demands could take a toll on Liverpool’s wage bill if they decide to move in for him this winter.
However, there is no denying that he is good enough to walk into Klopp’s first-team based on his excellent form over the past 18 months. Alaba has made ten appearances for the Bavarian giants this term and is averaging 0.8 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game in the Bundesliga (stats via whoscored).
Dayot Upamecano
The Red Bull Leipzig star has established himself as one of the most promising centre-backs in the Bundesliga after producing a series of commanding displays at the centre of Julian Nagelsmann’s backline.
The 22-year-old has featured in ten matches for the German side this season and has caught the eye because of his defensive contributions in the UEFA Champions League group stages where he is averaging 4.0 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 2.0 clearances per game thus far (stats via whoscored).
Kalidou Koulibaly
The Napoli centre-back is currently considered amongst Europe’s best defenders, so the Reds would do well to orchestrate a big-money move for him in January.
Koulibaly could be tempted with the opportunity to play with his international teammate Sadio Mane at Anfield. He will be an immediate fix to Klopp’s defensive worries and could help the Merseysiders challenge for the UEFA Champions League trophy this season.
The 29-year-old has been involved in nine matches for the Italian outfit this season and is averaging 1.8 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per 90 minutes in the Serie A and the Champions League (stats via whoscored).
