“It wouldn’t surprise me…” – James Pearce shares Liverpool January transfer window prediction | OneFootball

James Pearce has given an early indication as to what Liverpool fans can expect regarding the January transfer window.

The Reds splurged massively in the market over the summer, spending almost £450m on new recruits for Arne Slot’s squad (Sky Sports) as the Premier League champions sought to reinforce from a position of strength.

However, with one of the new arrivals in Giovanni Leoni suffering a cruel ACL injury and another centre-back in Ibrahima Konate less than nine months away from running down his contract, that area of the pitch looks worryingly threadbare at present.

Mark Brus of the Daily Briefing claimed that Liverpool could seek to bring in ‘more than one’ central defender in 2026, although Pearce doesn’t the Reds to be overly active in January.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

What has Pearce said about Liverpool’s January transfer window?

Responding to a readers’ query in a Q&A for The Athletic as to the likelihood of defensive recruitment in the winger, the journalist outlined: ‘It was a real blow losing Leoni for the season, but Liverpool still seem relaxed about their centre-back options.

‘Whether further injuries or form trigger a change of heart in the coming months, we’ll have to wait and see. After a summer of unprecedented spending from the club, it wouldn’t surprise me if the January window is very quiet.

‘Arne Slot may be down to three specialist senior centre-backs, but Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Andy Robertson can also operate there.’

Pearce added that any repeat attempt at signing Marc Guehi is ‘much more likely’ to happen next summer than in January.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Liverpool must learn from recent history

Liverpool fans won’t need reminding about how a spate of injuries to our centre-backs crippled our chances of retaining the Premier League title when we were last defending champions in 2020/21, and the Anfield hiearchy would be wise to beware the possibility of a repeat scenario this season.

Even with Konate coming under fire for his performances in recent weeks, Slot has continued to start him over Joe Gomez, who mightn’t be content with another campaign of bit-part involvement after more than a decade on Merseyside.

The Reds are only one defensive injury away from having no senior cover at centre-back, and it’s not unthinkable that – just like five years ago – Rhys Williams could yet be asked to step up in case of emergency.

As Pearce mentioned, Liverpool are highly unlikely to splurge in January after being so active in the summer market, but there must be a willingness on the board’s part to make the most of the one mid-season opportunity that they have to bolster the squad.

Events between now and the New Year could alter the Reds’ list of priorities, but as things stand, supporters’ nerves would be soothed considerably if a new centre-back is recruited over the winter, particularly if Konate’s future remains precariously in the balance by then.

You can watch Slot’s post-Chelsea press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: