Liverpool Transfers and Why Marc Guehi Still Shapes the Summer Plans
Strategic silence in January
Liverpool’s January transfer window has followed a familiar pattern: restraint framed as strategy. While supporters look for immediate solutions, the club continue to think in seasons rather than weeks. This week’s developments have only reinforced that approach, with Marc Guehi remaining central to plans — even if no move is imminent.
James Pearce reports that Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Ifeanyi Ndukwe from Austria Vienna, a teenage centre-back who will join the under-21s setup later this year. It is another reminder that Liverpool’s recruitment department remains focused on potential rather than instant impact.
Yet while Ndukwe represents the future, Guehi remains the present ideal.
Guehi and the patience game
Liverpool’s interest in Guehi is neither speculative nor new. He was close to moving to Anfield last summer before Crystal Palace halted negotiations, and since then he has been viewed internally as a priority target for 2026, when his contract expires.
There is little expectation that Palace will sanction a January sale unless forced by circumstance. Manchester City are also monitoring the situation, though Liverpool believe their long-standing interest and clarity of role could yet prove decisive.
For now, the club appear content to wait — a decision shaped as much by financial reality as by squad confidence.
Defensive depth under scrutiny
That confidence is being tested. Injuries have stretched resources across the pitch, particularly with Alexander Isak sidelined and attacking options thinned by absences and form issues. But defensively, Liverpool’s margins feel equally fine.
Arne Slot’s side have controlled possession in many matches without always imposing authority. The lack of a dominant, ball-playing centre-back presence has been noticeable in moments of transition, making Guehi’s profile all the more attractive.
The decision not to chase Joel Ordonez, despite reports to the contrary, underlines Liverpool’s refusal to compromise on fit or value.
Loans, returns and recalibration
Elsewhere, Owen Beck has returned early from Derby County after injury curtailed his loan, while James McConnell’s spell at Ajax ended by mutual consent following managerial upheaval. James Norris has departed permanently to Shelbourne after a successful loan.
These movements illustrate a club constantly recalibrating its development pathways — trimming where necessary, patient where possible.
The January window may pass quietly, but Guehi’s shadow continues to stretch across Liverpool’s planning.
