“Isn’t the answer…” – Liverpool fans may be shocked by January transfer plea from John Barnes | OneFootball

Going against the grain of seemingly widespread opinion among Liverpool fans, John Barnes has urged the Reds not to enter the market in the final week of the January transfer window.

In stark contract to last summer’s spendthrift trolley dash which amounted to £446m in new signings, FSG have yet to recruit any additions for Arne Slot’s first-team squad this month, despite the team’s difficulties on the pitch.

The frustration has been compounded by the sight of two long-time transfer targets in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi both joining Manchester City in recent weeks, as well as the dearth of defensive depth due to a multitude of injuries.

Barnes: Liverpool don’t need to sign anyone in January

Despite the cries from many Liverpool fans (not just on social media) for Richard Hughes to add to Slot’s squad before next Monday’s deadline, Barnes has explained why he’d rather not see his former club enter the transfer market this week.

Speaking to Covers.com World Cup betting, ‘Digger’ said: “Liverpool don’t need to sign anyone in January. The solution to Liverpool’s problem is not signing more players. The club spent record amounts of money in the summer and they have all the players they need at their disposal.

“There aren’t any realistic transfer targets that are better than what Liverpool already have and the starting XI wouldn’t improve. Throwing cash at the problem isn’t the answer.”

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Many Liverpool fans may disagree with Barnes on this one

On the one hand, we can understand Barnes’ argument. The unprecedented spending spree last summer hasn’t transformed Liverpool’s fortunes on the pitch for the better, even though it’d be unfair to lazily describe the new arrivals as flops.

While we wouldn’t blindly agree with the legendary winger’s asserion that there aren’t attainable players on the market who could improve the Reds, we do acknowledge that signing any of those between now and next Monday would be a tall order.

According to Spotrac, LFC have the third-highest current wage bill in the Premier League at £176.8m for the season, so FSG may be reluctant to add to that with late-month panic buys.

On the other hand, Liverpool’s squad is worryingly threadbare in key positions, most notably in defence, and failing to address that glaring problem while the transfer window is open would seem negligent in the extreme.

Man City reacted to their own injury crisis by pouncing for Semenyo and Guehi, whereas their Anfield counterparts have stood eerily still so far in January.

It’s one thing to avoid throwing good money after bad. It’s another to pass up the one mid-season opportunity to enhance a squad which is evidently in need of bolstering, given what we’ve seen on the pitch over the past four months.