Liverpool one step CLOSER to new signing

The closer Liverpool get to the end of the transfer window, you hope the recruitment team has done all their homework before deciding that the squad is settled and ready for the new season.

Despite around £300m having been spent by the club this summer, the net spend is sitting at just £100m and there are still a few gaps in the squad where new signings could make a difference.

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Of course, the money isn't going to be spent recklessly and any deal has to make financially as well as in a sporting sense, but if the performances aren't quite up to scratch, then fans will get twitchy.

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After watching the Community Shield defeat on penalties against Crystal Palace on Sunday, it was quite easy to focus on the negatives rather than the positives. The full-time score was 2-2 but you could sense that Liverpool were flattered by such a result. Some glaring issues remain in the side.

The answer to Liverpool's problems was right in front of them

In the Red and Blue stripes of the Eagles' shirt was the solution to Liverpool's problems right now.

Palace captain Marc Guehi, a centre-back of class and composure, delivering a masterclass against us, proved beyond all doubt that he could be a real asset to Arne Slot and the Reds in defence.

Currently, just Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are available as central defenders, since Joe Gomez is sidelined for the foreseeable with yet another injury concern and Jarell Quansah has not been replaced since he departed on a permanent transfer to Bayer Leverkusen last month.

While the Englishman made six clearances, one interception, one tackle, one accurate cross, five accurate long balls and three duels won, Liverpool's centre-backs muscled 10 clearances, four interceptions, one tackle, four accurate long ball and six duels won combined. It was perplexing.

Across the game, Liverpool had more shots on target, but according to XG Philosophy on X, the Reds made just 1.11xg throughout the match, whereas Palace created 2.12xg. Hugo Ekitike's opener had just 0.03xg and Jeremie Frimpong's cross/shot had 0.01xg, suggesting they were both unlikely goals.

While I'm happy to recognise that goals are goals, it was difficult to find any fault in the Eagle's defence for conceding the two finishes. Generally speaking, Guehi had a really solid, whereas Van Dijk had one of those days where nothing went right - conceding the penalty for Palace's opener.

The prospect of signing Guehi has been well considered by now and whether Liverpool decide it's worthwhile to meet the £40m asking price for Oliver Glazer's captain is still undecided, but as we near closer and closer to the start of the Premier League, it feels more and more like an non-decision.

Going into the season with three centre-halves is a disaster waiting to happen, and since Gomez is already injured, we're currently witnessing a full-blown crisis. Signing someone is a necessity.

In an ideal world, both Guehi and talented wonderkid Giovanni Leoni would both be on their way to Merseyside this week. The £70m outlay spent on them would surely be repaid later this season, since we're far more likely to pick up some silverware if we aren't reliant of fortune with injuries.

Furthermore, the two secondary options available to cover in defence - Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo - were either unavailable against Palace or used in their natural position in midfield, and the rumour mill is suggesting that Kostas Tsimikas might also be on the way out, another player that was used as a makeshift centre-back throughout pre-season. Slot must surely be aware of all this.

Whether anything happens to resolve the issue is up in their air, but you feel that after this game in particular that we've got to be edging closer to signing a new defender. We're in desperate times.

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