Carragher urges Liverpool to sign Guehi ALTERNATIVE and copy Man City but do his claims add up? | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher has drawn parallels between Liverpool’s situation and Manchester City’s this time last year, urging his former club to do what their rivals did – but is it really as straightforward as he suggests?

Liverpool embarked on their biggest-spending transfer window of all time in the summer, breaking their transfer record twice for the signings of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. And that wasn’t all, as they also invested heavily in the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni to celebrate their 2024-25 Premier League title win.

However, with the January transfer window fast approaching and with their title defence floundering, there’s already a belief Liverpool need more.

They have made it clear they think they have a gap at centre-back, having tried and failed to sign Marc Guehi on deadline day before losing Leoni to an ACL injury.

Furthermore, Isak has recently broken his leg and, along with doubts over Mohamed Salah’s future, it has led to fresh debates over whether they need something extra in attack.

Now, former Liverpool defender Carragher has advised his old club to take a leaf out of Man City’s book after they found themselves in a similar situation last year.

Carragher wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph: “Pep Guardiola reacted to his club’s troubles by spending a combined £180m on Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush, and Nico Gonzalez.

“City improved, preserved their Champions League status and are back fighting for every honour a year on. It could be argued the new blood gave City the short-term impetus they needed. Alternatively, it’s debatable how much impact their mid-season signings had and if longer-term it was a well-judged spree.

“Assessed at the time, and even more so in retrospect, investing so much in January looked like a knee-jerk reaction to a desperate situation, veering from a usually well-considered recruitment plan. None of City’s recruits have been particularly influential in the team’s return to form this season.

“Liverpool can take inspiration from how City have bounced back. Equally, they will be desperate to ensure any business they engage in next month is not viewed as a sign of panic. It’s a risk they must take.

“If Arne Slot does not have another attacker and centre-back before the end of January, his team will struggle to finish in the top four.”

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However, as Carragher admitted, spending heavily does not guarantee the signings will be a success, as Liverpool are even learning with some of their summer recruits.

As for those City signings from last January, Marmoush has already been linked with an exit and Reis has gone out on loan to Girona. Khusanov is still acclimatising, while Gonzalez has probably been the best of the bunch but still looks a level or two below Rodri.

Liverpool would have to make sure they are investing in the right players if they were to go on a similar winter spree.

“Liverpool’s track record buying in mid-season is generally positive,” Carragher encouraged. “[Virgil] van Dijk, Luis Suarez and Luis Diaz are among those who joined in the first weeks of January and hit the ground running. All were tracked for months, even years. They were clever rather than panic buys.”

Carragher issues strong advice amid Guehi interest

In terms of the centre-back signing Liverpool could have up their sleeves, Guehi is likely to be a player they revisit after coming so close to landing him on deadline day.

However, all signs are pointing towards the Crystal Palace captain making a fresh decision over his next club in the summer, rather than in January – and talk of a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with Liverpool has been denied by sources.

With Guehi potentially off the menu in January, Carragher has called for Liverpool to sign a different defender instead.

“If Liverpool do not or cannot get Guehi now, they need an alternative,” he insisted. “Van Dijk has been carrying the defence all season. He is not at his best, but even slightly off form he is better than 90 per cent of centre-backs in the Premier League. Without him, Liverpool would be in a worse position.”

While signing an alternative to Guehi might look like something that could damage their chances of capturing the England international too in the summer, it doesn’t necessarily have to pan out like that.

Van Dijk is nearing the end of his days as a week-in, week-out starter, while Ibrahima Konate is out of contract at the end of the season and hasn’t been playing that well this season.

Just like they signed two new strikers this summer, Liverpool may well need to sign two new defenders in 2026, while still allowing space for Leoni to develop after he recovers from his injury later in the year.

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Despite Carragher’s advice, some respected Liverpool sources are suggesting their January plans will actually include no signings.