Liverpool are looking to address a lack of defensive options in the final days of the January transfer window, with defenders also being loaned out.
Arne Slott is short on defenders (Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool have loaned Callum Scanlon to Cardiff City, but manager Arne Slott has plans to deal with injuries in the defender. The Reds’ final line is in tatters due to injury, with Jeremy Frimpong, Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni all absent.
Slott was forced to put several young players on the bench in Saturday’s 4-1 Premier League win over Newcastle. With Frimpong and Bradley absent, Dominik Szoboszlai once again filled in at right-back, with Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkes completing the back four.
Liverpool’s bid to sign Marc Guehy fell through on deadline day in September, with the Crystal Palace defender joining Manchester City earlier this month. Liverpool’s lack of depth in defense has been an obvious problem this season, with injuries continuing to mount.
Despite this, the club decided to send Scanlon to Cardiff until the end of the season. The 20-year-old full-back has only recently returned from a lengthy injury spell with Liverpool Under-21s and was previously on loan at Millwall, having been sent to the League One leaders for game time and experience.
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He joined Liverpool for £550,000 from Birmingham City in February 2021, but has only made two first-team appearances so far.
Liverpool are hoping to sign a new player before the transfer window closes on Monday, and are in talks to sign Letcharel Geertruida on loan. Geertruida is currently on loan at Sunderland from parent club RB Leipzig, but could potentially switch Premier League clubs due to his slot.
Geertruida was previously a key player at Feyenoord, serving as vice-captain in the slot and is tactically flexible, able to play as a right-back, centre-back or defensive midfielder. Liverpool’s deal could be complicated, given that Sunderland paid Leipzig £2m to sign Geertruida for the entire 2025/26 season and there is no break clause in his contract.
Lutcharel Heertruida is on loan at Sunderland from RB Leipzig (Image: Neal Simpson/Getty Images)
Therefore, Liverpool may have to pay compensation to the Black Cats to sign the player. Hertruida has made 17 Premier League appearances for Sunderland this season but could be keen on a move given his links with Slott.
“I think we’re trying to strengthen the team, not weaken the team,” Slott said after Saturday’s win over Newcastle. “But we have 48 hours left. Let’s see where the window goes.”
Meanwhile, there has been speculation linking Curtis Jones with a move to Inter Milan, but Liverpool do not want to let a player go midway through the season when no further reinforcements can be made. Asked about Jones, Slott said: “I think there’s always a lot of talk about Liverpool and about Liverpool players.”
“There was a lot of noise around the club last week, I should say weeks, but I think today the fans showed us what noise really means. They helped us a lot today, so it’s loud. That’s the noise here in Liverpool.”
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