Having bolstered a title-winning squad with over £400 million worth of reinforcements during the summer, few would have expected that the upcoming January window would be such an important one for Liverpool. A completely underwhelming start to their campaign, however, has put them way off the pace for a title defence, and in desperate need of something to change their fortunes.
If the Reds are to return to last season’s strength, the January transfer window seems the only likely way of pulling it off. A successful window could see Arne Slot’s side plug gaps in all the right places and spark a much stronger second half of the campaign. Dealings in January always come with extra difficulty, but if the Merseysiders can pull these moves off, they could witness significant improvements.
Buy
If Liverpool want to be more competitive across competitions this season, signings in January are a must. Here are the areas that would make the biggest difference for the Reds if they can identify quality, Premier League-ready players.
Central Defence
Gio Leoni’s long-term injury sustained in the League Cup win over Southampton has left Liverpool very light on centre-backs for the past few months. In terms of senior central defenders, Slot only has Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez (currently nursing a minor injury). A couple of other names can cover, if required, but this would be far from an ideal situation. With a long season ahead, the Reds need more depth in the heart of defence and ideally someone to provide serious competition for the inconsistent Konate.
A new centre back has to be Liverpool’s biggest priority, whether they secure a loan move or a permanent transfer. All rival clubs have significantly more depth in this key area of the pitch. Marc Guehi, who Liverpool just missed out on in the summer, would be the obvious choice as he has only six months left on his Crystal Palace contract. The Englishman will be in high demand, mind you, and he might decide to wait until the summer to weigh up his options.
If funds allow, it could easily be argued that the Reds should swoop in for two centre-backs, given that Gomez often covers at full back when he does feature. This could prove too much of a challenge to sort in the January window, though.
Attacking Midfield
Having secured a £65.5m transfer fee for Luiz Diaz, Liverpool fans were happy to see him bid farewell and head to Bayern Munich. The Colombian was Liverpool’s second-highest league goalscorer last season, though, registering a solid total of 13 goals. This, combined with the tragic passing of Diogo Jota, took away two strong options from the attacking midfield options.
Florian Wirtz was brought in to help bolster the ranks, but his slow start, combined with Mohamed Salah’s drop-off in form, has harmed the Liverpool attack. Although Wirtz is showing signs of progress, the same cannot be said for Salah, who looks a shadow of the player who netted 29 league goals last year.
Due to this, attacking midfield should be the other big priority for Liverpool in January. One rumoured target is Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause in his contract. Having already registered seven goals and three assists for Bournemouth this season, he surely offers plenty of appeal. The Reds could instead look for a cheaper option abroad, but this increases the risk of another Wirtz-type situation where a player needs time to settle.
Defensive Midfield
With 24 goals conceded in 16 league games, the Liverpool defence is far leakier than it ought to be. It is thought that part of the problem is that the Reds lack a natural top-level defensive midfielder who can shield the back four. Arguably, they have not had a figure like this since Fabinho departed in 2023.
This is not to say that Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai do not put in defensive shifts, but none fits the elite defensive midfielder mould. Having such a player is not essential, as Liverpool showed last season, but it would be a very useful addition to the squad if they can identify a good target.
Sell
There is only one significant player who the Reds should consider selling in January, and the name will come as little surprise.
Mohamed Salah
Following his shocking outburst after the 3-3 draw with Leeds, it looked as though Mohamed Salah might have played his last Liverpool game. He returned to the side, however, to come on as a substitute in the win over Brighton a week later. Although it seems as though Salah has smoothed things over, for the time being, his comments revealed he is simply not happy being a rotation option for Liverpool.
Starting Salah regularly as a substitute appears to be a ticking time bomb, but the ageing Egyptian is not deserving of a place in the starting eleven. Rather than try to manage this tricky situation, Liverpool would be best off parting ways with the high-wage winger, cashing in while he still has a fair amount of value. The funds could be used to strengthen other areas which are far more of a priority for Liverpool.