'Incredible' player still an option for Slot more than four years after last Liverpool appearance - journalist
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Arne Slot knows he may have to get creative with his choices at centre-back at some stage during Liverpool’s season.
The Reds lost Giovanni Leoni to an ACL tear this week, meaning Slot has only three senior centre-backs to choose from for the rest of the campaign.
With question marks over the fitness records of Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate, there is a feeling that Liverpool may come unstuck.
While Gomez and Konate join Virgil van Dijk in being Slot’s only senior options, however, the Liverpool head coach does have more depth if needs be.
Wataru Endo and Andy Robertson can both play at centre-back, and it feels likely that one or the other will now become Slot’s fourth-choice in the position.
However, with neither Endo nor Robertson natural central defenders, there is one more player the Dutch coach could look to throw in instead.
Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool fans will potentially be getting flashbacks of the 2020/21 season when, again as champions, they saw their centre-backs decimated by injuries.
All three of Gomez, Van Dijk and Joel Matip were ruled out for the season by February.
It was a disaster.
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Jurgen Klopp looked to the Liverpool academy, though, and eventually put his trust in Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams.
Phillips finally departed on a permanent transfer to West Brom this summer, but according to Sky Sports journalist Vinny O’Connor, Williams is still very much available.
READ MORE: Liverpool readying plans to sign ‘the best defender in the world’ after Giovanni Leoni injury
“We should also remember of course that Liverpool still have Rhys Williams about the place,” O’Connor told Sky Sports News on Thursday afternoon.
“The last time he made a start for Liverpool was actually against Crystal Palace back in May 2021 as Liverpool were able to secure Champions League qualification.
“But Rhys Williams is not actually training with the first-team squad at the moment here at Liverpool.”
Although Williams is technically still a Liverpool player, it would be a huge surprise if Slot looks to utilise him this season.
The defender is finally out of contract next summer, and is likely to drop way down the divisions in order to continue his career.
Despite the fact that Klopp hailed Williams’ form from four years ago as ‘incredible‘, he is not Liverpool standard.
Instead, Slot will hope that the current players at his disposal will be enough to take him through.
Liverpool could invest in their squad in January, of course, and O’Connor also shared the word from inside Anfield on the possibility of a recharged bid to sign Marc Guehi in 2026.
“They did miss out on Marc Guehi on the final day of the transfer window and I know the attitude around Liverpool is it would be foolish to walk away from a player they came so close to signing,” he says.
“So, we’ll have to wait how developments go on that in January or possibly at the end of the season.”