Empire of the Kop
·6 August 2026
Fresh word about Liverpool signing Djed Spence this evening amid Barcola & Mbaye hint

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Yahoo sportsEmpire of the Kop
·6 August 2026

Liverpool are reportedly “not currently working” to bring Djed Spence to Anfield this summer.
Reliable transfer news expert Ben Jacobs reports on X (formerly Twitter) that the England international – who enjoyed an impressive World Cup in the States – is “open” to a switch away from North London.
However, the Merseysiders are understood to be looking at alternative targets to the 25-year-old fullback.
Liverpool, Liverpool, Liverpool… We can’t seriously be thinking of going into the league season with Jeremie Frimpong as our only senior option at right-back?
The same footballer, might we remind some, who missed a sizeable chunk of the season with multiple hamstring issues. And what of our alternative option, Conor Bradley? Oh, yes, of course… more injury issues.
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Now, to read between the lines of Jacobs’ tweet on the subject, we had to assume that “other targets” refers either totally, or in large part, to our ongoing pursuit of PSG duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye.
Which may very well mean that Spence becomes an active option in the coming weeks when it becomes clearer just how much budget Liverpool have left to work with.
In the current heavily inflated market, it’s difficult to argue that Spence, coming off an impressive World Cup campaign, is expensive at £35m. And listen, while we do agree that Liverpool shouldn’t conduct business on the basis of who performed well in the tournament, we can surely all agree that £35m is dirt cheap, right?
Able to cover both flanks (and primarily operating as a right-back) and offering explosive pace and an ability to take on his man, it’s the kind of option you’d imagine would appeal to Andoni Iraola.
The argument Liverpool’s recruitment team may feel inclined to make, of course, is that when both Bradley and Frimpong are fit, we have sufficient depth in place for the position.
But the fact of the matter is that we can’t rely on the Northern Irishman to complete a string of games without picking up an injury. More to the point, he’s not going to be back on the pitch much before November-December time, judging by Iraola’s recent injury update.
So we need a body in now. Ultimately, we can always worry about the problem of thinning down our options at right-back later, but we can’t go into another campaign expecting Dominik Szoboszlai to deputise, losing the Hungarian’s quality in midfield.
And for the sake of £35m, we highly doubt there’s a better option out there with Premier League experience who could instantly slot in as well as Djed Spence.
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