Liverpool can replace Gomez with move for £65m “tank”

Once Luis Diaz swept a strong finish past the gallant Alphonse Areola, few onlookers sat in the London Stadium would have bet on anything other than a Liverpool victory.

West Ham United were crushed, picked apart and played with by Arne Slot’s unstoppable side. Liverpool are now eight points clear of second-placed Nottingham Forest with a game in hand – they are firm favourites for the Premier League title.

It’s all the more incredible when considering the variables. Jurgen Klopp stood down at the end of a 2023/24 campaign that tapered off for the Merseysiders; Federico Chiesa was the sole summer signing for £12.5m and he’s started just one game; arguably the three pre-eminent Liverpool players are out of contract at the end of the term, each able to discuss a pre-contract agreement with clubs from overseas.

Ibrahima Konate has also been injured for the best part of a month after a sensational start to the campaign, hailed for reaching the “elite category of defenders” under his Dutch coach’s tactics by one journalist.

The France international is still out, and Joe Gomez has joined him in the infirmary.

Joe Gomez’s injury concern

Gomez scarcely featured in the Premier League over the first few months of the season, perhaps slightly knocked out of kilter after a move to Newcastle United failed to reach the final stage in August.

You wouldn’t think that the 27-year-old, Liverpool’s longest-serving first-team player, would harbour too many grudges after the botched and prospective transfer, especially now that he’s thriving in Slot’s project.

One Serie A reporter has hailed him as a “coach’s dream,” with his versatility and multi-faceted technical quality making him an invaluable asset.

injuries have been the bane of his career, however, and he appeared to pull his hamstring as Liverpool romped past West Ham, reducing him to merely 37 minutes of action and potentially an extended spell on the sidelines.

To be sure, Liverpool could do with another part at the rear, and FSG may sanction a move in 2025 after one Premier League star has expressed his desire to play under the Anfield lights.

Prem centre-back wants to sign for Liverpool

As per reports relayed by the Metro, Liverpool are interested in signing Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi – and the attraction is understood to be reciprocated.

Guehi starred for the Three Lions at Euro 2024 and has been a rock at the back of the Eagles backline for several years, with Newcastle United lodging four unsuccessful bids for his signature in the summer, the final of which totalled £65m.

With Palace keen on bringing Ben Doak – who is currently shining away from Anfield for Middlesbrough – to Selhurst Park, perhaps on loan, Liverpool could shift a few pieces to align with Slot’s vision, bolstering the backline with the perfect new part.

Guehi is also out of contract at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. The time to pounce is nearly upon us.

What Marc Guehi would bring to Liverpool

Crystal Palace signed Guehi from Chelsea in a transfer worth £18m in 2021 and he’s since gone through the gears to reach England’s senior squad and attract interest from some of the Premier League’s finest outfits.

He’s a wonderful centre-half, endowed with a lion’s bite and a cheetah’s easy movement in front of the goal. Oh, and a devotion toward protecting his goal and snuffing out attackers’ efforts. His former England U21 teammate Joe Bursik, a goalkeeper, has hailed him as “an absolute tank” of a defender in the past.

Oliver Glasner’s side have struggled to recapture the dreamy form of the last few months of the 2023/24 season, but without Guehi, there’s no doubt that the Eagles would be stuck in the pit of the Premier League.

Analyst Ben Mattinson has claimed that the Englishman is “one of those versatile CBs who can play both sides equally as comfortably,” shifting with ease. This could be crucial as Van Dijk enters the later stage of his brilliant career, for his playing time may need to be mitigated if he does indeed extend his contract and captaincy on Merseyside.

As per FBref, Guehi also ranks among the top 7% of central defenders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90, making a convincing comment on his ball-playing and carrying skills. Skills that are tailor-made for Slot’s system.

A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.

Whether Liverpool succeed in their endeavour remains to be seen and probably won’t become clear until the summer sun stretches down onto Anfield.

However, given Guehi’s dynamism, technical quality and monstrous defensive skill set, there’s every reason why he could be the perfect arrival at Liverpool, taking Slot’s system to the next level and elevating an already imperious backline.

Gomez may still want a fresh challenge, and if he does get his wish next year, this man, a man who wants to make the move, is the one to go for.