After being caught off guard during the summer transfer window, Liverpool has not learned its lesson, and this could lose the Reds this month’s prize acquisition of an excellent center-back.
With its center-half ranks, Liverpool was positioned almost precisely at the beginning of December. After the Reds’ terrible 2022–23 campaign, Virgil van Dijk, Joël Matip, and Joe Gomez were all back to their best; Ibrahima Konaté was also fit, and youthful Jarell Quansah had emerged as an unanticipated but crucial extra option.
However, in the 4-3 victory against Fulham, Matip suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that would finish his season, and in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal, Kostas Tsimikas injured his collarbone, requiring Gomez to fill in at left-back while Andy Robertson remained out.
Liverpool’s defense appears to be overextended suddenly, and it’s possible that the team is regretting not adding a player in the summer.
Even one more injury would pose a serious challenge.Micky van de Ven, a center back for Wolfsburg at the time, was one player Liverpool supposedly took into consideration. Van de Ven was reportedly one of the team’s top targets, and as part of its charm offensive, captain and fellow countryman Van Dijk spoke with him to try and persuade him to go to Anfield.
Ultimately, though, Spurs just “moved faster” and managed to finalize a $55 million (£43 million/€50 million) transaction.Van van Ven was playing fantastically for Spurs, breaking through into the Dutch senior team and the signing-of-the-summer conversation—that is, until he had an injury of his own in early November.
Despite his apparent lack of physical strength, Ange Postecoglou has made a move for Radu Drăgușin of Genoa, who is said to be worth $33 million (£26 million/€30 million).
