Liverpool were in a bit of a pickle during the 2022/23 campaign, but Jurgen Klopp engineered a resurgence that saw a thrilling midfield overhaul and a return to prominence, winning the Carabao Cup and fighting for the Premier League title, ultimately finishing third.
Did Liverpool fail in their pursuit of English football's pinnacle prize, or did Klopp's team actually overachieve, buoyed by the innate belief of a squad led by a unique kingpin, fuelled by the desire to make his final hour a thing of beauty?
Whatever the consensus, Liverpool's revamped infrastructure, dissembled and pieced back together with new bricks by Michael Edwards and his FSG cohort, will be confident that the new era at Anfield can bring trophies and thrilling campaigns.
Arne Slot is now geared as Liverpool's head coach, and while there has been comparative quietness on the transfer front thus far, you can be sure that the cogs are moving beneath the surface. Klopp solved the midfield problem one year ago, but now, fixing the backline is the pressing concern.
Liverpool lining up new defender
Last week, The Athletic's David Ornstein revealed that Liverpool are among the contenders for Leny Yoro, an 18-year-old centre-back with the world at his feet, though there appears to be a tacit understanding that he will join Real Madrid, such is the way of things.
Edwards is unlikely to focus on one target, mind, with a recent report from the Telegraph claiming that Liverpool have been alerted to the possible availability of Euro 2024 star Marc Guehi.
It's revealed that Crystal Palace will only entertain offers of £65m for their star defender, but it's paramount that the Reds sign a high-level centre-back this summer and the 23-year-old could be the man.
Marc Guehi's season in numbers
Palace signed Guehi from Chelsea in an £18m deal in 2021, with the Englishman since completing 111 appearances, scoring five goals.
Still young, Guehi has enjoyed year-on-year growth at Selhurst Park, playing his finest football during the recently completed campaign. As per Sofascore, the £50k-per-week ace featured 25 times in the Premier League (missing several months due to injury), and while Roy Hodgson struggled to make the London club click before his February dismissal, Guehi was immense.
The "absolute tank" – as former England U21 teammate Josef Bursik once dubbed him – won a whopping 67% of his ground duels and completed 87% of his passes despite the possession-lacking nature of Hodgson's style. He recovered 4.8 balls and swept away 3.5 more on average, excelling on the left side of the central defence.
Minutes played
90'
90'
Touches
60
73
Accurate passes
51/53 (96%)
60/64 (94%)
Possession lost
3x
4x
Long balls
1/2
2/4
Tackles
1
1
Clearances
2
6
Shots blocked
1
0
Ground duels won
1/1 (100%)
1/2 (50%)
Aerial duels won
1/3 (33%)
4/4 (100%)
Fouls committed
0
1
Guehi held his own and then some on his international tournament debut, with his gritty defensive style blending nicely with the more dynamic and expressive style of Manchester City's John Stones.
Liverpool have creative, modern-day-encapsulating defenders in Virgil van Dijk and the 6 foot 4 Konate. Guehi is certainly not one-dimensional, nor is he antiquated in his approach, but he is more of a natural defender. The clue is in the title: Guehi defends—no-nonsense, exuding command.
He would certainly add something extra, different, even, to Liverpool's backline, and must be signed this summer, for Slot could even emulate his predecessor in completing a transformative deal.
Why Liverpool should sign Marc Guehi
Guehi would prove to be Slot's very own Van Dijk. Signed for a big fee from a lower-down-the-ladder Premier League rival to add some impetus and inspiration to a defensive line that has not looked at its best for a few years.
Liverpool have one of the most talented backlines in Europe. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have formed an iconic wide partnership, while Van Dijk has been described as "the best defender in the world" by Klopp.
23/24
36
41
22/23
32
47
21/22
34
26
20/21
5
42
19/20
38
33
18/19
38
22
17/18*
14
14
17/18*
0
24
*Before & after Van Dijk joined in January 2018
But there's little point hiding from the fact that Liverpool's collective might in the bottommost third has faltered in recent years; Klopp's final few years brought a rollercoaster of emotions and fortunes but the regression in defensive quality is unquestionable.
The urgency to rectify this, under Slot, runs deeper than merely a lack of numbers due to Joel Matip's summer exit at the end of his contract. This is why signing a player of Guehi's ability is so important, lest Slot fail to stamp his style into the Anfield first team, leaking fluency- and confidence-inhibiting goals.
And despite the aforementioned discussion about Guehi's steely basal skill set, he's not exactly a bad ball-carrying asset. The clip above shows the success he can find when shuttling forward, weaving past opponents to progress the ball into a promising position.
The 6-foot star's aerial prowess does leave something to be desired: Guehi won only 50% of his 1.2 aerial battles per game in the English top flight last term. Van Dijk, conversely, triumphed in 81% of his 3.9 duels per game.
But there are few more devastating in the duel than the Eagles colossus, who could spread his wings at Liverpool and make a groundbreaking impact under Slot, who could restore Liverpool's acumen in defence.
£65m is no small sum but Liverpool need to signal their intent at the start of this new chapter, and Guehi could be the player to make the biggest difference at the most crucial of points in Anfield's rich history.
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