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Liverpool Leadership Void Exposed in 2025/26

Liverpool’s 2025/26 campaign has revealed a problem that feels both tactical and emotional, a shortage of authoritative voices when pressure bites. Credit is due to Rousing The Kop for surfacing a discussion that has steadily gathered pace, leadership, or more precisely, the lack of visible senior leadership beyond Virgil van Dijk.

Earlier in the season, Wayne Rooney publicly questioned whether Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were leading the side properly. That scrutiny intensified after Leeds United, when James Carragher echoed similar concerns, wanting Salah to “step up off the pitch as well”. These are not throwaway remarks. They point to a dressing room in transition, where experience is thinning and responsibility is unevenly distributed.

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Van Dijk has responded commendably. “To Van Dijk’s credit, he has done so, speaking to the media during difficult moments.” That matters. Captains earn authority not only through performances but through presence when results wobble. Yet with Salah’s future unresolved, the sense of a leadership vacuum persists.

Senior Voices Needed Alongside Van Dijk

Curtis Jones deserves recognition for maturity and composure, but expecting him to shoulder the emotional load of a title winning side feels premature. As the original piece notes, “Curtis Jones needs praise for how he has conducted himself on and off the pitch, but another veteran with plenty of experience should be brought in to help out Van Dijk this summer.”

That brings the discussion neatly to Thiago Silva. At 41, nobody expects him to start every week. “Now 41, there is no chance that the Brazilian can play every single game in the Premier League.” What he offers instead is gravitas. His leadership at Chelsea and PSG remains fresh in the memory, and “having someone with his presence and wisdom in the dressing room would lift Liverpool and take some of the burden off Van Dijk.”

Thiago Silva and January Opportunity

Silva’s availability on a free transfer sharpens the argument. Liverpool are light at centre back, and even limited minutes could prove invaluable. “Even if he can only play a couple of times a month, it’s worth the gamble given he’s available for nothing.” Experience has a habit of paying dividends in spring run ins.

Planning Beyond the Short Term

The article also looks ahead, suggesting ambition alongside pragmatism. “Given he’s going to be a free agent at the end of June, Liverpool should move for Marc Guehi as soon as possible so there is less competition for his signature.” A trio of Van Dijk, Silva and Guehi would blend authority, nous and durability.

Further forward, uncertainty reigns. “If Salah leaves, Antoine Semenyo seems the obvious option to replace the Egyptian.” These are not panic moves, but measured responses to a squad evolving under Arne Slot.

Liverpool have solved bigger problems than this. Leadership, once identified, can be recruited, nurtured and restored.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

There is excitement here, but also concern. As supporters, it is hard not to feel uneasy watching Liverpool drift through difficult spells without enough players demanding standards. Van Dijk cannot do it alone, and expecting Salah to lead while his future remains unclear feels unrealistic.

The idea of Thiago Silva sparks intrigue. No one believes he will be a saviour on the pitch, but dressing rooms thrive on voices that have been there and won it. Having him around younger defenders like Quansah, who “would have been a big help this season”, could accelerate development that currently feels stalled.

There is scepticism too. Bringing in veterans can look like short term thinking if not paired with succession planning. That is why the Guehi suggestion resonates, it balances now and next. Supporters want signs that Slot is being backed with both authority and longevity in mind.

If Salah leaves, the emotional shock will be huge. Replacing output is one thing, replacing presence is another. Semenyo excites, but he does not arrive with Salah’s aura.

This January matters. Not for headlines, but for tone. Liverpool need to show they understand what this squad lacks, and that they are willing to act before silence in the dressing room becomes habit.