‘No is the answer…’ – Sky reporter’s transfer claim will feel like a wind-up to Liverpool fans | OneFootball

Liverpool fans could be forgiven for wondering whether a transfer update coming from one Sky Sports reporter on Monday was said with the intention of winding them up.

The Reds’ defensive options for the latter part of their U.S. tour were already heavily curtailed by injuries and unavailability before Jeremie Frimpong went off during the 4-2 defeat to Leeds on Sunday night.

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Andoni Iraola subsequently clarified (via liverpoolfc.com) that the Dutchman’s substitution was due to ‘overload’ rather than a fresh injury, but with Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni already sidelined, another fitness issue at the back was the last thing the LFC head coach needed.

The clamour for defensive additions at Liverpool has increased amid the growing spate of absentees, but one reporter has indicated that fans shouldn’t hold their breath for reinforcements at the back.

Sky reporter issues shocking Liverpool transfer claim

Speaking on Sky Sports News when asked if a new defender will be brought in this month, Mark McAdam said (via Anfield Agenda): “No is the answer we are being told. My understanding is that Liverpool will not go into the market to sign a player for the next four to six weeks.

“They’re just gonna have to ride through the storm and then wait for their players to come back, and then they will be at full strength at the back.”

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What are the Liverpool hierarchy playing at?

Iraola has already been quite vocal about the need for a deeper squad at Anfield (and seemed to reinforce that message after the Leeds game), so it’d be criminal for FSG to leave him short-changed in that regard while they have the opportunity to do something about it.

It’s not as though the current defensive shortage should come as a shock to the hierarchy – Virgil van Dijk was always likely to miss a chunk of pre-season due to the World Cup, Leoni has been out for nearly a year, Jacquet has been nursing a shoulder problem for several months, Gomez and Frimpong have had multiple injury issues, and Conor Bradley will remain out for some time.

The pursuit of Bradley Barcola continues apace, but Richard Hughes shouldn’t be putting all of his eggs into a single basket. Liverpool need reinforcements in multiple positions, not just in attack, and they have four weeks to get it sorted or run the risk of a severely depleted squad in the autumn.

If indeed FSG are pinning their hopes on most of the Reds’ injured defenders returning to action by the end of this month, that’d be astounding naivety on their part, especially when direct rivals are actually being proactive and strengthening their ranks.

If Iraola isn’t provided with a sufficiently deep squad by the time the transfer window shuts, how can he be expected to then deliver the kind of success that LFC fans crave? As it stands, the head coach is being badly let down by those in the Anfield boardroom.