- Liverpool could be in the market for a new central defender in January, particularly a left-sided one, due to their lack of depth in that position.
- Journalist Dean Jones suggests that Liverpool could be interested in Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, who has impressed since joining the club.
- While Kelly may not be a world-class centre-back, Liverpool should consider signing a player of higher calibre to strengthen their squad.
Liverpool could be in the market for a new central defender in the January transfer window, as journalist Dean Jones tells GIVEMESPORT who they may look to pursue.
The Reds focused heavily on bringing in midfielders in the summer, and an additional defender could be their next priority.
Liverpool transfer news – Latest
The Merseyside club secured the signatures of Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister, and Dominik Szoboszlai before the window slammed shut at the beginning of September. With Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and James Milner departing, Jurgen Klopp and his recruitment team were focused solely on bringing in additions in the middle of the park. Klopp hinted during the window that he could do with an extra body at the back…
“In an ideal world, we would have six, seven, eight centre-halves and are covered for absolutely everything. Now we need to be lucky with injuries, there’s no doubt about it. I have no doubt about the quality of the boys we have. (Jarell) Quansah is a super talented player here as well. In this moment we are covered. It’s not dreamland where you can be prepared for every situation. We had to learn that in the past a couple of times. We will try to do our absolute best to have a squad in the next week where we can react to pretty much everything. Is that possible? We will see.”
Liverpool currently have four senior central defenders on their books in Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez, but Klopp is without a left-sided centre-back in his squad. Jones previously told GIVEMESPORT that Liverpool were interested in signing Chelsea defender Levi Colwill during the transfer window, but the England youth international eventually signed a new deal at Stamford Bridge.
Since signing for the Reds in 2021, Konate has missed 15 games through injury, as per Transfermarkt. As a result, Liverpool are often left short at the back, so signing an additional defender, specifically a left-sided one, would be a smart move.
A centre-back could be what Liverpool need in January – Dean Jones
As per 90min, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United are all interested in signing Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly ahead of the January transfer window. The left-sided centre-back has been impressive since moving to the Cherries, and he’s now attracting interest from bigger clubs.
Jones has suggested that Liverpool could look to pursue the 24-year-old, who signed for Bournemouth for a fee of £13m from Bristol City. The journalist adds that Tottenham were the hottest link for Kelly at one point, but Liverpool could be mentioned again in the near future. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said…
“Yeah, I mean, there’s a possibility that Liverpool could join the race on that one. It’s a bit of a strange situation in the way that it kind of fizzled out at the end of the transfer window, and Tottenham were obviously the hottest link to him at that point. But when you consider what Liverpool might be needing in the January transfer window as they start to tweak the squad, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise at all if they were mentioned again in the Lloyd Kelly conversation.”
With Liverpool’s midfield situation seemingly solved, it could be time to focus on signing a defender. The Reds enjoyed an impressive transfer window, but they could need more if they want to compete for the Premier League title.
Is Kelly good enough to play for Liverpool?
Liverpool fans might be hoping for their club to be aiming a little higher than Kelly, who, although he has been impressive during his time at Bournemouth, he’s not a world-class centre-back. At the age of 24, Kelly has gone past the point of being an exciting young talent, and Liverpool should maybe be looking to sign a player of a higher calibre.
However, Kelly did produce an impressive performance against Mohamed Salah last season.
|
Lloyd Kelly vs Liverpool |
Stats |
|---|---|
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
|
Clearances |
5 |
|
Match Rating |
6.79 |
|
All stats via WhoScored |
Kelly played left-back against the Egyptian international, with then-Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil labelling the defender as ‘incredible’.
“Didn’t have much time in between, and then came back today having not trained much, to play left back against one of the best wingers in the world. I thought he showed everything, the potential he has to be a top defender. I thought it was a very, very impressive performance against a top attacker.”
