Liverpool’s centre-back situation and why Iraola must act
Liverpool have been left short at centre-back after Joe Gomez was forced off injured just eight minutes into new head coach Andoni Iraola's first game in charge, against Sunderland. With summer signings Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni still not match-fit, the club were left fielding two teenage academy prospects for most of the match, exposing a lack of experienced cover at the heart of defence that Iraola had already flagged as "very thin" before the injury occurred.
Gomez, Liverpool's longest-serving player, has now missed 225 games through injury since joining from Charlton in 2015, and an update on this latest setback is expected this week. That leaves Virgil van Dijk, 35, as the only fit senior centre-back, with both he and Gomez entering the final year of their contracts. Liverpool spent a combined £94.5m on Jacquet, 21, and £26m on Leoni, 19, as long-term replacements for Ibrahima Konate, who left for Real Madrid, but former striker Robbie Fowler says the club "need players" now and would not be surprised to see another centre-half signed, even though this summer's spending is expected to fall well short of last year's £450m outlay.
- Joe Gomez injured early in Iraola's first Liverpool game, worsening defensive crisis
- Van Dijk is the only fit senior centre-back; new signings Jacquet and Leoni still unfit
- Robbie Fowler says Liverpool need another centre-back signing this summer
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Liverpool face a shortage of senior centre-backs following the departure of Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid. The club signed two younger replacements during the summer—Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni—but both remain injured and unavailable to play. This has left defensive options limited.
The only fit senior centre-back is Virgil van Dijk, now 35 years old. Joe Gomez is also at the club but has a history of injuries throughout his career at Liverpool. Both are in the final year of their contracts.
New manager Andoni Iraola noted before taking charge that the centre-back position is very thin. With the summer signings unavailable and senior players ageing, the club faces questions about its defensive depth for the season ahead.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
With only van Dijk fit at centre-back—at 35 years old—and Gomez injured again within eight minutes, Liverpool face genuine defensive vulnerability that demands immediate attention. The two summer signings remain unavailable, forcing academy teenagers into the starting line-up precisely as Iraola had warned against; this structural exposure represents a legitimate management problem requiring urgent action rather than hope that injuries resolve favourably.
The case against
Liverpool have already invested over £120m in specialist replacements specifically designed for this transition, and expecting those young players to require settling-in time reflects normal, sensible squad development rather than a structural failure. Panic-buying another defender after a single match would waste resources and undermine confidence in existing signings; financial prudence and patience with properly planned investments is the sustainable approach rather than constantly chasing emergency reinforcements.