Liverpool’s Long View on Joel Ordonez Reflects a Familiar Transfer Logic
Liverpool’s interest in Joel Ordonez has not disappeared. It has merely slowed, cooled, been set aside and placed back on the shelf marked “later”. In modern recruitment, this is not a retreat so much as a recalibration, and it says as much about Liverpool’s planning horizon as it does about the defender himself.
Reports in recent days have suggested that Liverpool could yet move for Ordonez, albeit not until the summer of 2026. According to Football Insider, the deal remains “very much on”, even if the immediate urgency has faded. That framing matters. Liverpool are not scrambling. They are waiting.
That patience is deliberate, and it fits a pattern that has defined the club’s transfer behaviour across multiple regimes. The club’s hierarchy have long preferred to act when circumstances align, rather than when noise dictates. Ordonez, still only 21, appears to be viewed through that lens: a defender for a future version of Liverpool, not necessarily the present one.
Ordonez’s Rise From Bruges to Broader Attention
Ordonez’s development at Club Brugge has been steady rather than spectacular, which may be part of the appeal. Since arriving in Belgium from Independiente del Valle in 2022, he has grown into a reliable presence in both domestic competition and the Champions League. He has also established himself at international level with Ecuador, further accelerating his profile.
That consistency is why Liverpool were first linked with him earlier in the season. At around £35 million, with wages reportedly in the region of £57,000 per week, Ordonez sits comfortably within Liverpool’s preferred transfer bracket: young, upwardly mobile, and not yet distorted by Premier League inflation.
As Anfield Watch originally reported, Liverpool’s interest emerged alongside a broader review of their centre-back options. That review has not stopped, even if the January window passed without decisive action.
Squad Uncertainty Shapes Transfer Timing
Liverpool’s current central defensive picture is in flux. Injuries, contract timelines and long-term succession planning all intersect. The club entered this season light in senior options, a situation compounded by the failure to land alternative targets in previous windows.
That context explains why names such as Marc Guehi, Micky van de Ven and Jeremy Jacquet have all surfaced in recent months. Yet it also explains why Liverpool may choose not to force a move now. Ordonez, for all his promise, is not viewed as a short-term fix. He is a project signing, one intended to mature alongside the next iteration of the squad.
With contractual decisions looming and internal development ongoing, Liverpool appear content to let the market breathe. Waiting until summer 2026 could place them in a stronger negotiating position, particularly if Club Brugge feel pressure to sell or if Ordonez’s pathway becomes clearer.
Strategic Patience Over Reactive Spending
What stands out most in this story is not the player, but the posture. Liverpool are resisting the gravitational pull of urgency. They are willing to “look elsewhere” in the short term, as Football Insider puts it, while keeping Ordonez firmly on their radar.
This is not indecision. It is prioritisation. Liverpool’s recruitment model has repeatedly shown a preference for alignment over impulse. When they move, it is usually because multiple conditions have converged: availability, price, role, timing.
Ordonez may yet tick all of those boxes. Just not yet.
That patience can be frustrating for supporters conditioned by louder, faster markets elsewhere. But it is also how Liverpool have repeatedly rebuilt without tearing themselves apart. Ordonez, if he arrives, is likely to do so quietly, deliberately, and at a moment that suits Liverpool more than anyone else.
