Liverpool may not buy a centre-back to replace Ibrahima Konate and there’s a very good reason for it
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Liverpool fans know exactly what can happen when the club chooses to leave itself short at centre-back, but could see history repeat itself this summer.Ironically, Ibrahima Konate was part of the reason the Reds decided not to bring in a replacement for Dejan Lovren in 2021, instead going into the campaign with three senior defenders.Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez promptly endured injury-hit campaigns, leaving Liverpool scrambling for Champions League qualification with a back two of Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams. Konate is leaving, and though they have more options for the moment in Van Dijk, Gomez and the prodigious duo of Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet, they will be taking a risk by not replacing Konate with a new signing this summer.Nevertheless, the talents of Jacquet, Leoni and a plethora of top youngsters coming through from the Liverpool academy means anyone hoping for a defensive addition may be left disappointed.Liverpool’s young talents could be enoughThere is a caveat here tied up in the future of Gomez.
2 leaves, then surely Liverpool must act.Assuming Konate’s exit means he now stays put, though, the Reds may feel they have enough at centre-back to last the season. READ MORE: Four available centre-backs who could immediately replace Ibrahima Konate in Liverpool’s starting XIPhoto by Jurij Kodrun – FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesIt will be fascinating to see who takes Konate’s place next to Van Dijk, and it could even be that Gomez fills in as Jacquet acclimates and Leoni eases back in after his long-term injury.Once the two young men are up to speed, though, there will be a healthy competition for one to emerge as Van Dijk’s primary partner.If Gomez – or any of the other options – goes down with injury, Liverpool fans will be fearing that two youngsters and a 35-year-old Van Dijk may be a risky group to face the season with, but that would be to ignore that the Reds have also just bought two more highly-rated centre-backs.Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye should not necessarily be counted amongst Liverpool’s senior options next season, but it is clear that the Reds have extremely high hopes for them, and in holding off on signing another centre-back, they are keeping the pathway open for them both to step up.Ndukwe could be the one to step up for LiverpoolLiverpool will hope that they will be able to get through the season with four very good centre-backs, but if anything happens to one of them, it may not be the end of the world.While Arne Slot could look to use Ryan Gravenberch or Wataru Endo, if he stays at the club, Ndiaye and in particular Ndukwe should really be next in line.
Which centre-back must Liverpool sign to replace Konate in the starting XI? Liverpool obviously feel that both players are potential first-team players in the future, and that in itself is reason enough not to sign someone else this summer.Ndukwe looks closest to being a genuine option for Slot, having made his senior debut during the Vienna derby earlier this month.The 18-year-old is a big prospect, and given he is less than 15 months younger than Leoni, it is not outlandish to assume that he is being primed for a spot as Liverpool’s fifth-choice centre-back in 2026/27.Ndiaye is another to keep an eye on next season, and though the Reds will likely need to replace Van Dijk with a genuine star signing in 2027, it is perhaps worth taking a season to see exactly how good these youngsters are going to be before making that decision.