John Aldridge names Premier League colossus Liverpool ‘must’ sign in January; it’s not Semenyo | OneFootball

John Aldridge has named the Premier League player he believes Liverpool ‘must’ sign during the January transfer window.

The winter market opens for a month on New Year’s Day, and the Reds have been strongly linked with Antoine Semenyo, with Lewis Steele not ruling out a mid-season swoop for the Bournemouth winger despite an apparent preference to join Manchester City.

Perhaps the only other player who’s been mentioned more frequently in LFC transfer dispatches in recent months is Marc Guehi, whose proposed deadline-day move from Crystal Palace four months ago was scuppered at the last minute by the south London club.

That intervention has had major repercussions for Liverpool’s season, with a lack of centre-back depth and a frightening defensive record of 26 goals conceded in the Premier League making the retention of our top-flight title seem highly unlikely.

Aldridge: Signing Guehi ‘is a must’ for Liverpool

In his latest column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge has outlined what he believes should be the Reds’ priorities in the January transfer window, and he’s argued that there’s one top-flight player who’s of greater need than Semenyo.

The former LFC striker wrote: ‘We need a centre-half. Whether the owners would spend the money, we’ll have to wait and see. Marc Guehi is a must, if they can get him.

‘They’d recoup the money in January if [Mo] Salah leaves; but if he stays, there might not be the same wiggle room to add to the squad, and they wouldn’t really need Semenyo either.’

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Liverpool must at least attempt a January swoop for Guehi

At present, Liverpool are worryingly light in terms of centre-backs and attacking options, although the latter has been boosted by Cody Gakpo’s return and will be replenished further once Salah is back from the Africa Cup of Nations.

However, with Giovanni Leoni out for the season and Joe Gomez sidelined once more, Arne Slot is relying on just two senior central defenders in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. If either of those were to be unavailable, a midfielder like Ryan Gravenberch or the currently injured Wataru Endo would be forced to deputise at the back.

LFC could wait until next summer to sign Guehi on a free transfer once his Palace contract expires, but whether they can afford to play the waiting game is another matter. It’s not hyperbolic to claim that Champions League qualification could hinge on whether or not a centre-back is brought in next month.

Liverpool should theoretically be able to land the England defender for a reduced price given his contractual situation at Selhurst Park, and in the 25-year-old they’d be getting a homegrown Premier League-proven colossus who’s entering what’ll likely be his prime footballing years.

Persuading the Eagles to sell their captain mid-season will be no easy feat, especially with Oliver Glasner’s squad depleted by injuries as their multiple commitments take their toll, but we’d like to see Richard Hughes at least attempting to entice the centre-back to Anfield after the dramatic collapse of the deadline-day move at the end of the summer.