RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesAndoni Iraola has seen enough: Suddenly a new transfer priority emerges
Andoni Iraola kicked off his tenure as Liverpool head coach over the weekend.
His Reds were victorious in a preseason friendly against Sunderland in Nashville, winning 4-2 in the first game of the USA tour.
Youngsters like Lewis Koumas, Kieran Morrison and James McConnell all stepped up to the plate. The Reds’ academy structure is in a healthy place - turning out fantastic talent regularly.
That was demonstrated Stateside and hopefully the Basque tactico finds a way to give minutes to those talents in the months ahead.
But it’s not all good news.
Joe Gomez hit by another injury
Joe Gomez went down with yet another injury - showing once again that his long-term fitness isn’t to be relied upon.
With Virgil van Dijk absent from the tour it meant that Ifeanyi Ndukwe was sprung from the bench to partner Mor Talla Ndiaye in the heart of the backline - and Ndukwe won't be available to the club for the season ahead.
Liverpool have lost Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer while new signings Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet still remain absent as they recover from injury.
Liverpool need a senior centre-back and fast
Gomez’s injury has come at a very bad time for Iraola - leaving the Merseysiders exposed in a key area just a few weeks out from the start of the Premier League season.
Van Dijk will be starting as first choice but right now all bets are off as to who will end up partnering the captain in defence.
Even when Leoni and Jacquet are sufficiently recovered they still lack the requisite first-team experience - and that should have alarm bells ringing inside the corridors of power.
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Suddenly a new transfer priority emerges for Iraola
Lewis Steele writing in the Daily Mail is now claiming that centre-back has jumped up the list of priorities in the transfer market.
“All of a sudden, the need to sign a defender rises to the top of Liverpool’s shopping list alongside recruiting the Mohamed Salah replacement on the right wing,” the report reads.
Ideally a defender who could cover right-back would be a good move - with Conor Bradley also set for an extended spell on the sidelines.
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