Liverpool enjoyed a barnstorming summer transfer window, with an estimated £415m outlay marking the most ambitious and expensive spending spree in European football history.
Rarely had Liverpool shown even a measure of the willingness to fork out such sums across a condensed period, but the careful construction of a superpower under Jurgen Klopp’s wing hit new heights last year in Arne Slot’s system, winning the Premier League and earning a windfall from finishing first in the Champions League group phase.
Twice the Reds have broken the British transfer record this year, first signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen before winning the interminable battle with Newcastle United for their free-scoring forward Alexander Isak.
But it didn’t all go the Anfield side’s way, having missed out on top defensive target Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day, with the Three Lions star’s announcement earlier in the day thought to be a formality.
Liverpool's miss out on Guehi
Guehi remains at Crystal Palace. The 25-year-old centre-half, who has entered the final year of his contract, had come within a whisker to making a career-changing move to Slot’s Liverpool, but lost out after his club failed to sign a fitting replacement and Oliver Glasner reportedly threatened to walk if his sale was green-lit.
However, Guehi’s arrival was never going to be the be-all and end-all for the Merseysiders, who had already welcomed Giovanni Leoni to their ranks from Parma in Italy for a £26m fee plus add-ons.
The Italy international is only 18, but he has already showcased prodigious potential and is considered to be one of the most talented young defenders in the world.
Liverpool also resisted interest in Joe Gomez last month, and thus have a range of options at the rearguard, with skipper Virgil van Dijk still performing at the top of his game despite turning 34 in July.
In short, there’s not much to worry about, even if Guehi is one of the best on English shores.
Palace might of reneged on their initial agreement with Liverpool due to internal strife, but the league champions have options aplenty to get them through the campaign, with Van Dijk not the only one who might consider himself an upgrade on the England international.
Liverpool already have a Guehi upgrade
Guehi has the makings of a top-class defender, but perhaps he’s not quite there yet. The one-time Chelsea prospect has captained Palace to FA Cup and Community Shield titles in 2025, but it’s perhaps fair to say that he hasn’t yet lived up to the heights of Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate.
Konate, 26, hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to the season, caught out in both of Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixtures, but the Frenchman is typically immense beside Van Dijk, hailed by analyst Josh Williams as a “monster at covering ground and dealing with one vs one situations.”
Across his four seasons at Liverpool, Konate has grown stronger and stronger, both on the field and from a fitness slant, with his title-winning performances last season bearing a likeness to Guehi’s own efforts across the year. It’s clear, then, why Liverpool want to land a player who is comparable to their athletic defender.
Goals scored
0.09
0.04
Assists
0.06
0.07
Touches
62.70
76.82
Pass completion
83.5%
90.2%
Progressive passes
3.94
4.04
Progressive carries
0.65
0.88
Goal-creating actions
0.15
0.25
Tackles
1.79
1.41
Interceptions
0.82
0.60
Clearances
4.80
4.68
Blocks
1.62
1.02
Aerial duels won
2.00
2.60
Like Guehi, Konate is staring at the end of his contract, and despite lengthy efforts to reach a breakthrough, Liverpool have as yet failed to convince the £70k-per-week defender to extend.
However, reports from recent months have suggested that there has been something of a narrative shift, with reporter DaveOCKOP revealing that talks are ongoing underneath the ominous backdrop of Real Madrid’s persisting interest.
And class, as they say, is permanent, with Konate putting in a phenomenal shift against Liverpool’s title rivals, completing all 44 of his passes and standing strong against the waves of Gunner offensives.
Liverpool may feel that they have an exciting prospect in Leoni – and indeed, they are probably right in viewing him as a potential superstar – but Konate has been chiselled into one of the best in the business, and his track record suggests Guehi wouldn’t have so easily displaced him if a deal was done on deadline day.
All this is to say that while supporters might be understandably frustrated by the failed effort to sign Guehi, there is little, if any, cause for panic.
Konate is at the top of his game right now, and if Liverpool do find a breakthrough in negotiations to extend his stay on Merseyside, the tough-tackling giant might just find himself reaching new levels, especially when the time comes for Van Dijk to bow out.
Sofascore’s data even reveals that Konate won a whopping 71% of his aerial duels in the top flight last term, whereas Guehi, much shorter at just 6 feet tall, came out on top just 54% of the time for the Eagles.
After all, it’s hardly a coincidence that Konate won his first Premier League title the same year he sorted his fitness levels out, starting 30 times in the Premier League.
25/26 – 3 (3)
–
1
24/25 – 31 (30)
3
11
23/24 – 22 (17)
–
5
22/23 – 18 (17)
–
7
21/22 – 11 (11)
–
4
Liverpool will still need to sign a centre-back at some stage in the not-too-distant future, and Guehi may well remain at the top of the shopping list as he approaches free agency.
