Complicated deal explained as Liverpool bolster their attack

Deadline Day didn't really live up to the hype as a Liverpool fan.

The expectation was that at least one other winger would be signed alongside Bradley Barcola. The reality, however, was that the Reds shut up shop as soon as they rejected Manchester City's £80million bid for Cody Gakpo.

There had been plans to add another senior attacker but Brighton didn't play ball, rejecting two offers for Yankuba Minteh, while Crystal Palace didn't want to sell Ismaila Sarr and Paris Saint-Germain inexplicably moved the goalposts with Ibrahim Mbaye, almost doubling their asking price for the winger.

Still, Richard Hughes, in his final window as Liverpool Sporting Director, did manage to bring in Victor Munoz and Barcola.

We're yet to see the Frenchman in red but expectations are high while Munoz has had an impact in both Premier League outings, winning a penalty against Newcastle United and scoring a late equaliser against Nottingham Forest last time out.

While another senior attacker wasn't brought in, the Reds did sneak a late deal in for an 18-year-old. In a few years, it might look to be a masterstroke.

The unconventional deal to sign Djylian N’Guessan

The deal to bring N’Guessan to Anfield is yet to be confirmed. There's a reason for that though.

The Saint-Étienne striker was expected to finalise a move during the summer transfer window. However, the Reds ran into a significant hurdle: FIFA’s strict limits on foreign international loans. With Liverpool having already filled their external loan allocation - most notably via Harvey Elliott’s season-long switch to La Liga side Valencia - the Premier League side weren't to sign N'Guessan directly and immediately loan him back out.

Rather than risk losing the teenage starlet to rival European suitors, Liverpool come up with a plan.

The striker, likened to Eli Kroupi Jnr, will spend the 2026/27 campaign on loan at Ligue 1 outfit Brest, but as a loan move from Saint-Étienne rather than Liverpool. N'Guessan will then sign a pre-contract agreement with the Reds in January, paving the way for him to officially complete his transfer to Merseyside next summer upon the expiration of his Saint-Étienne contract.

It's complicated, but it is what was needed to circumvent the issue Liverpool found themselves with.

Liverpool's smart recruitment plan for wonderkids

N’Guessan is the latest addition to what is becoming a wonderkid recruitment drive at Anfield. The Reds signed highly rated defensive duo Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye, Samuel Martinez was snapped up, and Liverpool paid £30million to secure the services of Lucca Brughmans from KRC Genk.

The 2024/25 Premier League champions, under the diligent gaze of Pedro Marques and Matt Newbury are securing some of the best wonderkids in the world.