Souness insists Liverpool need transfer for issue Klopp "won't be happy about"

30 September 2023 , 13:45

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Souness insists Liverpool need transfer for issue Klopp "won't be happy about"

Graeme Souness has told Liverpool to sign a new centre-back amid Jurgen Klopp's struggles to find a defensive formula this season.

The Reds have only kept one clean sheet in eight games this term and Klopp recently handed 20-year-old Jarell Quansah his debut against Wolves due to a lack of options in the centre of defence. Liverpool legend Souness insists that recruiting a new centre-back is a must for his old club, who are showing signs of a second coming under Klopp.

"I still think they need another centre-half, [to play] alongside Virgil van Dijk," the former Reds captain and manager wrote in his Daily Mail column. "Jurgen can't be sure Joel Matip will be consistently fit and I'm not sure Joe Gomez or Ibrahima Konate are consistent enough to hold that place in a team looking to win the Premier League and ultimately the Champions League.

"They had 20-year-old Jarell Quansah making his debut at Wolves. Jurgen won't be happy that his team have conceded first in five of their eight games this season, though they have come back to win or draw, in a way that they often didn't last season."

Souness is quite right to point out Liverpool's defensive frailties, with their attacking players coming to the rescue so far to mount a seven-game winning run heading into Saturday's trip to Tottenham. That mirrors the early Klopp days before Van Dijk's £75million arrival from Southampton, as the Dutchman immediately shored up their back line.

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Have your say! Which centre-back should Liverpool sign? Give us your pick in the comments section.

Jarell Quansah recently made his Liverpool debut amid Jurgen Klopp's lack of centre-backs (MI News/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)

Torino centre-back Perr Schuurs is reported to be an option for the Reds, having impressed since joining the Serie A side last year. The former Ajax defender is team-mates with Van Dijk at international level, with reports claiming the Liverpool captain was even pushing for his club to sign Schuurs during the summer transfer window.

Klopp claimed in August that the Reds "need to be lucky" over the course of this season, despite having four senior centre-back at his disposal. "In an ideal world we have six, seven, eight centre-halves," he explained.

"We need to be lucky with injuries. I have no doubt about the quality of the boys we have, we have Jarell Quansah, a super-talented player as well. In this moment, we are covered but it's not dreamland where you can be prepared for absolutely each situation. We had to learn that in the past as well a couple of times."

Nathan Ridley