FSG transfer decision giving Arne Slot NIGHTMARES

The sight of Andy Robertson and Jarell Quansah sprawled on the Philips Stadion turf while Johan Bakayoko scored for PSV in midweek laid bare another shocking FSG failure.

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It was a reminder that Liverpool don’t have “options” at centre-back; they have a partnership. It’s a pretty good one at that but beyond Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, Arne Slot has got inferior squad depth and it’s beginning to take its toll.

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Liverpool have been fortunate that Van Dijk remains so robust and reliable even as his 34th birthday approaches. You wouldn’t expect a reserve defender to boast the class of the Dutchman but given the paucity of alternatives in the position Van Dijk has little other choice than to lace up his boots for practically every game.

When Konate was injured - as has happened every season since he signed in 2021 - Slot was forced to use Quansah and Joe Gomez as his next picks.

Quansah, a homegrown defender who has unfortunately levelled off in terms of his performances, is not fancied by Slot and that should be self-evident by now.

And Gomez is injured again, not to mention the fact that Liverpool were willing to sell him last summer.

With a big Premier League game against Bournemouth on the horizon - and fixtures stacking up - Slot left Van Dijk and Konate out in order to keep them fresh.

Liverpool should NOT be in this position

He will be thanking his lucky stars that this 3-2 defeat means little in the overall context of Liverpool finishing top of the Champions League league phase.

Robertson hasn’t always been at his best in his preferred left-back position this season and letting him loose at centre-back is not a decision that Slot will have taken lightly.

The next option up - Amara Nallo - fared even worse with a red card on his Champions League debut. Liverpool should NOT be in this situation.

It was reported this week that they have already earned some £80 million from their Champions League participation this season. Last summer they spent nothing.

Despite the advancing age of Van Dijk - and the uncertain contract situations around him and Konate - sporting director Richard Hughes opted not to get involved in a centre-back hunt.

Where are FSG?

If FSG have got any aspirations left of Liverpool being a top club then they need to back Slot and help him add to his squad. That he is going into a Champions League game with an underperforming youngster and a left-back shunted into the centre is frankly insulting.

Leny Yoro and Willian Pacho are among the centre-back linked last summer who ended up elsewhere. This January Manchester City have taken the opportunity to bolster their backline with around £50m worth of talent.

Where are FSG while all this is going on?

They are dangerously close to negligent when it comes to the centre-back situation. Worst case scenario right now is Konate ups sticks for Paris Saint-Germain and Van Dijk refuses a new deal.

Rather than being able to bed in some developing talent who have a few games under their belts already, Slot will have to establish a brand new centre-back duo from the ground up.

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And so while Liverpool secured top spot in the Champions League without too much damage done, let this be another reminder of the Reds’ transfer frustrations under the current ownership.

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