Three players Liverpool should consider buying in January

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Will Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp finally spend big money on a centre-back?

Liverpool continue to be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the Premier League but their defensive record is holding them back from being genuine title challengers.

Jurgen Klopp decided not to splash out on defensive reinforcements in the summer, but here are three targets for him to consider should he be tempted to enter the market in January…

Virgil van Dijk

The Dutchman appeared to be Liverpool’s only summer centre-back target and when Southampton refused to sell, as BBC Sport reports, the Merseysiders were left red faced.

Considering that Liverpool’s defensive problems have become even more apparent since, it is likely that they will return for Van Dijk and test Southampton’s resolve again.

The former Celtic star would improve Liverpool immeasurably. A centre-back pairing of Van Dijk and Joe Gomez may be one that can lift the Reds to title contention in the future.

Kalidou Koulibaly

This time though, Liverpool need a plan B. If Southampton again play hardball over Van Dijk, the Reds cannot afford to let another transfer window pass by without signing a centre-half.

Koulibaly has become one of Serie A’s top defenders over recent seasons and his impressive form at the start of this campaign has helped unbeaten Napoli keep Juventus off the top of the table.

The Senegalese centre-back is not quite as silky on the ball as Van Dijk, but he is very imposing and would be less susceptible to the type of weak mistakes that have plagued Liverpool’s season.

Kasper Schmeichel

Behind the centre-back pairing, the goalkeeping situation remains a problem for Liverpool with neither Simon Mignolet or Loris Karius showing enough consistency to nail down the number-one spot.

Schmeichel has been one of the Premier League’s most reliable stoppers since Leicester City’s promotion four seasons ago, peaking when he helped them to their famous title triumph in 2016, but may fancy a fresh start.

The 31-year-old still has half a decade left at the top level and shouldn’t be too costly compared to targets from abroad. Brave, authoratitive and good with his feet; the Dane is a much better all-round goalkeeper than Mignolet.