James Pearce has claimed in The Athletic that Liverpool do not plan to sign a central defender in the short term.
The well-known and well-respected journalist has reported that Liverpool are not planning on bringing in a centre-back as a stop-gap.
Pearce, who is the Liverpool reporter for The Athletic, has said that he was recently told that the defending Premier League champions were not going for a short-term fix, and has added that the Reds cannot get who they want for the long term due to availability and money.
“I was told recently that LFC weren’t going to go for a short-term fix and I’m not aware that the club’s position has changed since,” Pearce wrote in The Athletic when asked if Liverpool would move for a centre-back this month. “Availability and money means they can’t get who they want for the long-term this month.”
Sensible stance?
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have long-term injuries, while Joel Matip has has had issues with injuries as well.
Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams have done well, while Fabinho has been very good at centre-back despite being a defensive middle by trade.
Liverpool have been linked with centre-backs this month. FootMercato has claimed interest from the Reds in Lille’s Sven Botman, while The Liverpool Echo has reported that the Merseyside club want Brighton and Hove Albion’s Ben White.
It would make sense for Liverpool to keep faith in the defenders they have at the moment, as when Van Dijk and Gomez are back from injury, then manager Jurgen Klopp could have too many centre-backs in his squad.
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