Liverpool can sign Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January - but transfer critics miss point

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Liverpool spent £450m when overhauling their squad in the summer but continue to be linked with moves for both Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January after a disappointing first half of the seasonLiverpool oversaw a record-breaking summer transfer window as they brought in 10 new faces, including eight senior players, as part of a £450m spending spree. They had been monitoring Dean Huijsen, for example, before he completed a £50m move to Real Madrid, while it is well-documented that Liverpool saw a £35m swoop for Marc Guehi collapse on transfer deadline day.But with the Reds’ title defence not going to plan, with Slot’s side currently down in eighth and eight points behind league leaders Arsenal after already losing more Premier League matches (five) than in the entirety of last season, their summer spending has inevitably been used as a stick to beat them by critics.So, you can already imagine the response that will follow if Liverpool dip their toes back into the market when the January transfer window opens in a bid to resuscitate their season.The Reds continue to be linked with a mid-season move for Antoine Semenyo, with the Ghana international reportedly having a release clause in the new contract he signed last summer that would let him depart in January for £65m.Meanwhile, Sky Sports report that Crystal Palace believe Liverpool could get a fresh move to sign Guehi when the winter transfer window opens and consider the Reds the only club who could make a move for the defender in January.Only time will tell if Liverpool are to make mid-season moves for either player.

But despite an already hefty overhaul of their ranks in the summer, they would at least have space for both players in Slot’s squad without the need to drop any senior stars or move anyone on were they to make such swoops.The Reds head coach made headlines back in September when naming his Champions League squad, when Federico Chiesa was controversially left out so teenagers Rio Ngumoha and Giovanni Leoni could both be included instead.Such a decision was not needed in the Premier League, but with UEFA’s squad regulations differing to the English top-flight, Slot was left with a difficult choice to make.And after seeing a move for Guehi collapse, the Dutchman opted to select Leoni as additional cover at centre-back at the expense of Chiesa - though the Italian’s season-ending ACL injury would soon earn his compatriot a reprieve under new UEFA rules.Liverpool currently boast a 22-man squad for the Champions League, having been left unable to select the maximum permitted 25-man quota.If sides wish to name a full 25-man squad, they are not allowed to select more than 17 overseas players. From the eight remaining berths, reserved exclusively for locally trained players, no club may have more than four association-trained players listed among those places.Jeremie Frimpong and Freddie Woodman are currently the Reds’ only two association-trained players, but both Semenyo and Guehi would also tick such a box if they moved to Anfield.And with sides able to make three changes to their European squads for the second half of the season, Liverpool would be free to add both Semenyo and Guehi to their ranks without it coming at the expense of any current stars as both players are locally-trained.Admittedly, it would be a little different in the Premier League as the Reds currently boast a 24-man squad in the English top-flight.But such a total includes Rhys Williams and Fabian Mrozek to bolster their homegrown numbers, as well as Calvin Ramsay who occupies an overseas berth.With the trio the only players in Liverpool’s senior ranks not to be selected in a Premier League matchday squad this season, were one of them to be left out so the Reds could add two new players to their quota, it would hardly be the same as when Chiesa was surprisingly left out of their Champions League squad.Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL packageThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.

Learn moreSky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.Of course, players could still move on mid-season with the likes of Ramsay linked with a loan exit and Ibrahima Konate’s future remaining the subject of speculation ahead of his contract expiring in the summer.Liverpool might have spent £450m in the summer, but that does not mean their squad overhaul is complete yet. The fact that both Semenyo and Guehi could be added to their ranks without the need to remove any senior players only reiterates such a fact.Slot came in for ridicule when defending his decision to make wholesale changes for last month’s League Cup loss to Crystal Palace, having pointed out his squad does not boast as much depth as some of the Reds’ rivals despite their summer spending spree.But while critics might have scoffed, they are overlooking what Slot actually does - and does not - have at his disposal in favour of focusing on that £450m outlay and the easy narrative that follows.Reds legend Jamie Carragher has at least seen the bigger picture, insisting that his former club need to strengthen in attack and at centre-back in January.Such business would take their spending for the season north of £500m, prompting further outside noise in the process.But as links to both Semenyo and Guehi continue, it is something that Liverpool will at least have the opportunity to address in January as they look to take a step closer to completing an already extensive - and in parts enforced - squad overhaul despite their current status as Premier League champions.