Carragher says Liverpool risk season blow up without Guehi signing

Speaking on The Overlap, the former Reds defender insisted the Palace captain would have provided crucial competition in the heart of defence.

Carragher said: “I think there’s one situation where Liverpool, that’s the one area where – listen, three games in, they’ve got nine points out of nine, probably not played that well, so we probably all say big favourites Liverpool [for the title].

“But that is the one area that could come back and blow up, I would imagine, in their face because they haven’t really got what Guehi was giving Liverpool, competition at centre back.

“They haven’t got that. They’ve got two starters and two understudies.

“Joe Gomez is injury-prone himself, and the young lad who’s only 18, I think, come from Italy, going to be a great prospect, but if you think if one of them had to play for a couple of months, it’s a big difference.”

The “young lad” Carragher referred to is Giovanni Leoni, the £26m signing from Parma, who is seen as one for the future rather than a regular starter right now – despite being labelled as the next Virgil van Dijk.

Competition from Real Madrid adds more pressure

Since the deadline day collapse of Guehi’s deal, Paul Joyce has reported that Liverpool will not return for him in January and will instead wait until the summer when he is available on a free transfer.

That delay could prove costly, with Real Madrid also linked to a swoop for Guehi, while Spanish reports have suggested they are considering the same move for Ibou Konate when his contract runs down.

Liverpool have already invested heavily this summer, most notably breaking records for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, but Carragher’s words highlight why defensive depth might still be the factor that decides whether our boss can retain the Premier League title.

You can watch Carragher’s comments via The Overlap on YouTube: