Liverpool suffered yet another injury this week, as Joel Matip failed to finish the Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday evening.
Matip was taken off at half time, with Nathaniel Phillips slotting in his place alongside Jordan Henderson at the heart of the Liverpool defence.
Fabinho, who has been playing in central defence this season despite being a defensive midfielder by trade, did not play in the game due to a minor muscle problem.
After the match, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that although the club are trying to sign a centre-back, the Reds need to find the right player.
The Express quotes Klopp as saying after the match against Tottenham: “You can imagine we think about everything, of course.
“We thought the whole time, we are thinking the whole time. It’s about doing the right thing. I’m not picky or whatever, but we need to find the right player.
“We have players still, but not a lot in the defensive line to be honest – it’s really incredible what is happening there.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison, who now works as a pundit for ESPN and Premier League Productions, has named as many as 13 central defenders who the Reds could target before the end of the January transfer window.
Too late?
With just a few days left in the January transfer window, it is going to be extremely tough for Liverpool to bring in a quality centre-back.
True, the likes of Ben White, James Tarkowski and Dayot Upamecano are superb centre-backs, but it is unlikely that Brighton and Hove Albion, Burnley or RB Leipzig will sell them so late in the window.
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