Arne Slot facing Liverpool selection headache after serious injury exposes squad flaw

Liverpool spent £450million in the summer transfer window and yet still ended it with a potential issue in their squad. Just seven games into the new campaign and something close to disaster has struck.

Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Southampton in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night came with two caveats. Most obvious was Hugo Ekitike’s needless red card for taking his shirt off after scoring the winning goal. But more problematic was the serious knee injury suffered by Giovanni Leoni.

The 18-year-old centre-back, who joined the Reds in a £26million deal from Parma in August, was making his Liverpool debut at Anfield when he suffered a potentially season-ending injury. It was a cruel blow for the young Italian and provides a real headache for Arne Slot.

The Liverpool boss saw his squad bolstered by the arrival of eight players in the summer, but the vast majority of the money spent went on attack, with Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz the three most expensive additions. Leoni, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong joined in defence, yet the club knew they had ended the transfer window short in central defence.

READ MORE: Liverpool fearing serious Giovanni Leoni injury in cruel blow for Arne Slot

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The Reds sold Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35m and Leoni was his replacement as a back-up centre-back. But Leoni’s injury leaves Joe Gomez as the only other senior central defender in the first-team squad.

That is ultimately because they failed to get a deal over the line for Marc Guehi on deadline day. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parrish had a change of heart after Guehi had already done a medical and pulled the plug. With the England star’s contract expiring in the summer, there is the possibility that he could still arrive at Anfield, but the fact Liverpool were willing to pay £35m for him less than a month ago shows their need here and now.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are the undisputed No.1 pairing in central defence and were the bedrock to Liverpool’s success last season. But they are simply unable to play every game across all four competitions. Rotation is a necessity in modern football, but Slot may have to risk further injuries due to a lack of alternatives.

Midfielders Waturu Endo and Ryan Gravenberch have previously filled in at centre-back, but neither are ideal solutions. Endo’s misjudged header that allowed Shea Charles to make it 1-1 on Tuesday night showed his limitations, while Gravenberch has arguably been Liverpool’s best player in 2025 playing in holding midfielder. Moving him backwards would interrupt his output.

Slot could also call upon Rhys Williams, but the 24-year-old academy graduate spent last season on loan with Morecambe as they were relegated into non-league. As for other academy players, there is a time and a place to blood them, and Slot simply won’t have such a luxury of choice now.

Andy Robertson or Conor Bradley could also move from full-back to centre-back but neither are suited to fulfilling the role. There are 99 days until the January transfer window opens for business and Slot may well be crossing them off on his calendar if the situation in central defence deteriorates further.

Both Van Dijk and Gomez have previously suffered serious knee injuries and with games coming thick and fast over-use injuries are a gauntlet that Slot will have little option but to run. The irony of travelling to Selhurst Park this weekend to face Guehi’s Palace side certainly won’t be lost on Liverpool.

Speaking after Liverpool failed to land Guehi, Slot suggested he had plenty of options. “We played one or two days before, we played Arsenal where Virgil and Ibou played an outstanding game and Joe came in 20 minutes before the end and did outstanding as well,” he said.

“With us signing Giovanni Leoni, who had his first international call-up, and Ryan and Wata that can play there so it is not like all of a sudden we don’t have options in that position anymore.” With Leoni sidelined, Slot might not feel the same anymore.

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