Liverpool are facing growing pressure to strengthen their defence before the new Premier League season after injuries highlighted a lack of experienced options at centre-back despite significant investment in young talent.
The club’s long-term recruitment strategy has seen several promising defenders arrive over the past year. After impressing Liverpool scouts at the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar last November, Senegal’s Mor Talla Ndiaye and Austria’s Ifeanyi Ndukwe were signed for a combined fee of around £3.5 million. They are among five centre-backs aged 20 or younger recruited between last summer and January 2026, alongside Giovanni Leoni, Jeremy Jacquet and Noah Adekoya.
However, Liverpool’s plans for gradual development have been disrupted. During the club’s opening pre-season friendly against Sunderland, Joe Gomez was forced off with an injury after just eight minutes, leaving teenagers Ndiaye and Ndukwe to form the central defensive partnership for most of the match.
New head coach Andoni Iraola had already admitted before the game that his defensive options were “very thin,” and the latest setback has only increased concerns. Gomez missed Liverpool’s training session in Chicago, with the club expected to provide an update on his condition this week.
The 29-year-old has endured a difficult spell with injuries throughout his Liverpool career, missing 225 matches since arriving from Charlton Athletic in 2015, according to Transfermarkt. Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk is currently the club’s only fully fit senior centre-back. The 35-year-old captained Liverpool throughout every Premier League minute last season, but both he and Gomez are entering the final year of their contracts.
Liverpool’s decision to allow Ibrahima Konaté to join Real Madrid on a free transfer reflected the club’s confidence in the potential of Jacquet and Leoni, regarded internally as two of Europe’s brightest young defenders. Liverpool invested around £60 million in Jacquet and £26 million in Leoni, with Jacquet expected to make his unofficial debut against Leeds United this weekend.
Despite the promise of the club’s young defenders, former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler believes experience remains essential.
He argued that while the new arrivals have considerable potential, experienced players are needed to guide them and maintain competition within the squad. Fowler added that Liverpool’s strongest teams were built on fierce competition for places, creating higher standards throughout the dressing room.
Liverpool’s transfer plans may ultimately depend on other business. The club are still interested in Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, who is valued at more than £100 million, but sources indicate that completing such a deal would significantly limit further spending this summer. Combined investments in Jacquet and Victor Munoz have already reached approximately £94.5 million, while there are currently no plans to activate the buy-back clause for Jarell Quansah following his £35 million move to Bayer Leverkusen.
Another complication is that Ndukwe is expected to spend the coming season on loan because he does not yet qualify for a UK work permit.
Liverpool remain confident about the long-term future of their defensive department, but the immediate picture is less reassuring. With injuries exposing a shortage of proven senior defenders, adding experience to the back line has become an increasingly urgent priority before the transfer window closes.