Ally McCoist pinpoints one factor which ‘might cost Liverpool’ in Premier League title race | OneFootball

Ally McCoist believes that, despite having an ‘unbelievable’ summer transfer window, Liverpool could yet rue one prospective signing they didn’t complete.

The defending Premier League champions sent out a firm statement of intent in the marketplace by spending almost £450m on additions to Arne Slot’s squad (Sky Sports), although that figure could well have been much closer to £500m were it not for a deadline day sting in the tail.

The Reds had agreed a £35m deal with Crystal Palace for Marc Guehi in the final hours of the transfer window, only for the south London club to then block the move as they hadn’t time to sign a replacement.

McCoist: Liverpool could rue missing out on Guehi

In the latest episode of The Breakdown on TNT Sports, McCoist claimed that the collapse of that transaction could ultimately cost Liverpool the title, given their far inferior record of goals conceded in the Premier League compared to Arsenal so far this season (nine and three respectively).

The ex-Rangers striker said: “I went with Liverpool right at the start of the season. I thought they had an unbelievable window. They were brilliant last year and I thought they’d strengthened.

“Time will tell, but what might cost Liverpool is the player they never got, never mind the players they did get.”

When Darren Fletcher asked if McCoist was referring to Guehi, the latter replied in the affirmative.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Liverpool have been much more porous at the back this season

Liverpool have been significantly weaker defensively this season than last – in 2024/25, they reached December having conceded only eight league goals, one fewer than they’ve let in by the October international break this time arond.

Some pundits have pointed to Ibrahima Konate’s loss of form as a major factor in the Reds being much more porous than 12 months ago, and Slot must privately be quite concerned with a lack of centre-back depth in his squad.

Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury has reduced the champions to one three senior options in that area of the pitch, and one of those (Joe Gomez) has barely featured in the top flight in the current campaign.

While Liverpool have defensive concerns to address, Guehi has continued to excel for Palace, starring in their win over us at the end of September and also standing out with his performances for England in recent weeks.

The Reds’ defensive ranks would undoubtedly be much stronger if they had managed to get a deal for the 25-year-old over the line, but the unfortunate events of transfer deadline day can’t be used as an excuse for failing to mount a sustained attempt at retaining the Premier League title.

Let’s not forget, we’re not even a quarter of the way through the season yet, so there’s still ample time for the champions to tighten up at the back and rediscover the solid foundation on which the 2024/25 title triumph was built.

You can watch Slot’s post-Chelsea press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: