Sensational defender confirms he is joining Liverpool as deadline day approaches

One defender has finally confirmed he is joining Liverpool after a long wait.

It has been a remarkable transfer window for Liverpool so far, but not in the way supporters would have hoped.

Richard Hughes has come under increasing scrutiny, particularly amid reports suggesting he has been juggling his Liverpool responsibilities while preparing for a move to Al Hilal. How much truth there is in those claims is difficult to say, but regardless of the situation behind the scenes, the results speak for themselves.

Liverpool entered this summer knowing exactly what needed to be fixed.

Last summer's mistakes had to be addressed. The squad needed more balance, several areas were crying out for reinforcements and, most importantly, the club had to find a proper successor to Mohamed Salah.

With less than 48 hours left in the window, none of those major issues have been properly resolved.

Liverpool are still desperately searching for an heir to Salah's throne, while midfield reinforcements appear to have slipped down the priority list despite the obvious need for more bodies in that area.

That makes the final few hours of the window absolutely huge.

Liverpool could still pull something remarkable out of the bag. Or they could enter the season with the same problems they knew about months ago.

So far, Liverpool's only major piece of business in these final days has been the signing of Bradley Barcola.

There's no question that it is a sensational signing. Barcola is one of the most exciting attacking players in Europe and gives Liverpool another elite option in the final third. But as impressive as the deal is, it does not solve some of the deeper problems within the squad.

Hughes had been close to sanctioning Cody Gakpo's departure, only for that move to collapse when Liverpool were unable to find a suitable replacement. The club held talks over both Ismaila Sarr and Yankuba Minteh, but neither deal could be completed at a price Liverpool were willing to pay.

Keeping Gakpo was therefore the safest option.

The problem is that it leaves Liverpool with a rather unbalanced group of wide players. Barcola, Gakpo, Rio Ngumoha and Victor Munoz all naturally prefer operating from the left, meaning Iraola will inevitably have to ask some of them to play outside their preferred positions.

That could still work. Gakpo has shown recently that he can operate effectively from the right, and Iraola may yet find a way to create the right balance.

But based on Liverpool's opening two games, there are reasons for concern. The Reds have struggled against opponents they should have been expected to beat and have already found themselves needing to come from behind.

There is still time to find solutions, but the early signs have not exactly been convincing.

New defender coming in

For a long time now, Liverpool have been building for a future without Virgil van Dijk, whose contract expires in the summer of 2027.

Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni are very much seen as the future of the Reds. But Liverpool also have Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye on their books, who are both highly rated.

Now, Liverpool are going to add one more defender to their ranks.

And it's someone who has been linked with Liverpool for a long time.

The Secret Scout first reported back in December of last year that Liverpool had agreed to sign Dara Jikiemi from Celtic.

But the deal has been on and off ever since, until Jikiemi himself finally confirmed on Monday that he is signing for Liverpool. The young sensation took to Instagram to share the news and pictures of himself signing his contract with the Reds.

The 16-year-old is a regarded as a huge talent. He isn't probably the signing Liverpool fans expected but it's an exciting one. And it's good Liverpool managed to get this over the line before the transfer window shut as they've been working on it since December.