Arne Slot reveals Liverpool’s transfer approach following Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury | OneFootball

Arne Slot has said that if Liverpool had a squad of 24 or 25 players they could not have afforded the big buys they have made this summer as he explained why he might not go into the transfer market to replace the injured Giovanni Leoni.

The 18-year-old defender has been ruled out for a year with an anterior cruciate ligament problem he sustained on his Liverpool debut this week and Slot admitted it is a “risk” to only have one centre-back in reserve.

But while Liverpool came close to signing Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi for £35m on the last day of the transfer window, Slot said he had “more than enough” options at centre-back. He has used midfielders Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch and left-back Andy Robertson as stand-in centre-backs.

Guehi’s contract expires next summer and Palace could have to cash in on the England international in January to avoid losing him on a free transfer but Slot suggested Liverpool’s decision of whether to buy in the winter window could be determined by if a deal is right or if he has injuries to his three main centre-backs, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.

Giovanni Leoni is out for a year after tearing his ACL (Getty Images)

But while Slot spent around £450m in the summer, he argued it was only possible to do such big deals – including paying £125m for Alexander Isak, £100m for Florian Wirtz and £69m for Hugo Ekitike – because he has a smaller pool of players than some other clubs and because he did not split his budget to bring in more signings.

“It's also a choice we make,” he said. “I know a lot is being said about our squad but if people would start to look at it in the way they should, you'd say we've got 20 or 21 players where some other teams we are in competition with are on 24, 25 or 26. But that's the choice we make because I believe that every player needs to have perspective of development or playing time.”

Slot said he dislikes having to leave players out of the matchday squad but that his smaller group of players requires men who can operate in multiple positions.

“If I every time have to say that, on a day like today, I have to disappoint four or five players, I believe that is not the right energy that you want to have in the building,” he said. “On the other hand, that means if you get one injury, you don't have two replacements anymore, so you don't have two players for every position anymore.

“That's then the risk you take but that's also why we try to bring in versatile players like Florian Wirtz who can play left, can play as a No 10 and can play as a No eight; Dominik Szoboszlai can play every position, I think. That is the way we do it and it is also why we can maybe spend a bit more on one player instead of bringing three in, and that is maybe the differences between the clubs.”

Slot is waiting to see if he needs to spend in January but is reassured by his record of helping his players stay fit.

He added: “That all depends on whether we get more injuries and if there's a chance in the market - all the answers I always give. But I would not prefer to go to 24 or 25 players. Also, if it is ever a situation - touch wood - where I lead a team that has four or five injuries throughout the whole season, it might be a bit smarter to go to 24 or 25, but recent history - with Feyenoord and last season as well - showed that [we have a good record] until now.

“But yeah, that is a certain risk, we don't have five or six injuries at the same time throughout the whole season, if that would be the situation then we would end up with 15 or 16 players and that would normally be difficult. So it's a choice I like to make but I think it is also a financial choice that we as a club have to make. If we want to keep these top players, we cannot have 24 or 25 of them.”