The £39m double deal that could SEAL Arne Slot's fate

Liverpool have been struggling this season - for consistent form and in terms of injuries too.

Take centre-back for example - where Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have been short of their best. Factor in the injuries suffered by Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez and you can see why the Premier League champions are crying out for additions.

A failure to land Marc Guehi on deadline day left Arne Slot short of centre-back options and Liverpool are paying the price.

Quansah sold for £30m

But it didn’t have to be like this. Liverpool had a Premier League title-winning defender on the books who could have bulked out the squad and even challenged Konate or Van Dijk for a starting place in his own right.

Jarell Quansah, 22, agreed a long-term contract during the 2024/25 season and looked a good bet to marshal the Reds’ backline in the years ahead.

Richard Hughes however had other plans - accepting a £30m deal from Bayer Leverkusen. His transfer includes a buyback clause so we may one day see the England man head back to Anfield.

However right now Liverpool are short on quality in his sector.

Tyler Morton joins Lyon

And in midfield it’s a similar story. Liverpool are relying on the same options as in the 2024/25 title-winning season and the midfield hasn’t had a refit since 2023.

All five of the club’s current senior midfield options have suffered injuries this term - with Wataru Endo an ongoing absence. Alexis Mac Allister doesn’t appear to be the same player either and the Anfield club could do with extra quality in the middle.

In that respect Tyler Morton would have been the ideal candidate to offer cover and competition. Instead the Reds accepted a paltry £9m from Lyon - which is quickly looking like one of the bargains of the season.

Already Juventus are reportedly keen on Morton - and although Liverpool would earn 20 percent of any transfer fee banked by Lyon - it’s a shame he’s not still around.

Arne Slot needed Quansah and Morton

Like Quansah he is another homegrown player with immense promise.

Liverpool’s priority however would appear to have been adding “pure profit” to the books rather than filling out the squad with these players who could make a difference.

In the end £39m give or take is not an awful lot for these two - particularly set against the £450m spent in the summer transfer window.

And during a season when Hughes is said to be pleading with Slot to use more academy players - namely Rio Ngumoha - these are certainly two players who could have helped.

Will Liverpool regret Quansah and Morton sales?

Quansah has been a regular for Leverkusen - and forced his way into Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup plans to boot. And Morton is a lynchpin of Lyon’s midfield - finally fulfilling the promise he showed as an academy talent at Liverpool.

Academy players are supposed to be the heartbeat of any successful Liverpool team.

Quansah and Morton are the ones that got away. And if results don't soon improve then Arne Slot might be regretting that the club let them leave.

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