Liverpool have evidently had to choose their battles carefully when it comes to the January transfer window.
It’s clear the Reds are in need of a major midfield overhaul, and Jude Bellingham remains their first-choice target. But with Borussia Dortmund seemingly not entertaining the possibility of selling the England international mid-season, and a club-record fee likely required to land his signature anyway, any pursuit of the midfielder will have to be put on hold until the summer.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have repeatedly been linked with Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez in recent months, with his World Cup performances for Argentina only heightening such speculation. But with the Portuguese outfit not accepting anything below his mammoth £107m release clause, again it is not a plausible January transfer for the Reds - though it seems Chelsea might land the World Cup winner.
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Elsewhere, Liverpool have 'long standing' interest in Matheus Nunes with recent reports claiming they are looking at a £44m deal for the Wolves midfielder. However, having only signed from Sporting Lisbon in August, he would not be eligible to play for any other side until the summer regardless, so talk of a January switch is futile.
And then there’s Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian is another player the Reds have repeatedly been linked with this season but, as is the case with Dortmund and Bellingham, the Seagulls have no desire to lose the midfielder mid-season.
Having overhauled their attack over the past 12 months, Liverpool always planned to revamp their midfield in 2023. How could they not, given a number of their current options are a mixture of ageing, injury-prone, out-of-contract, or raw talents.
But the Reds prefer to sign the right player, even if they are made to wait, as opposed to just filling a void right now. It’s why, when they missed out on Aurelien Tchouameni to Real Madrid in the summer, they opted to keep their powder dry ahead of a future swoop for a first-choice target.
There is a method in the madness, in keeping such funds back in reserve ahead of a potential future move for the likes of Bellingham at a time when such a deal becomes feasible. But given their struggles so far this season, the short-term failings of such a decision is there for all to see. If Liverpool miss out on qualifying for the Champions League as a result, it will have been disastrous.
While primary midfield targets might currently be out of the Reds’ reach, it’s a different story in attack at least. With Luis Diaz undergoing knee surgery and remaining sidelined until March as a result, and with Diogo Jota not set to return from a calf injury until February, Liverpool have brought in Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven for an initial £37m.
The wisdom in prioritising such a move ahead of a new midfielder will understandably be questioned, with it even more head-scratching if Diaz and Jota weren’t long-term absentees. But with the Reds’ attacking options currently limited as a result, Liverpool pounced to bring in Gakpo, who would have been a target for summer 2023 regardless.
But aware that they risked missing out on the forward to rivals Manchester United if they waited, the Reds moved early to land his signature in a deal reminiscent of the arrival of Diaz from FC Porto 12 months earlier. Available for a paltry fee compared to what would be needed to sign the likes of Bellingham, it was a deal Liverpool bosses couldn’t resist.
Yet it may have a knock-on effect. Following the Dutchman’s arrival, Jurgen Klopp admitted the deal could impact any future Liverpool business in January and that he doesn’t expect to “splash the cash” in this month’s transfer window as a result.
Had PSV echoed the stance of Borussia Dortmund and been demanding an eye-watering fee for Gakpo, he would not now be a Liverpool player. By the same logic, if one of the Reds’ primary midfield targets was on the market now for £37m, rest assured the club will have made their move at the expense of a new forward.
Admittedly it's frustrating, but with FSG not boasting the unrivalled funds of a Man City, Newcastle United, or a Paris Saint-Germain, they ultimately have no alternative choice if they wish to manage the club responsibly. But that could come at a price.
Anfield sources stress that a mid-season move for a midfielder remains unlikely following the signing of Gakpo. Club bosses have made their choice and if the forward remains the sole January arrival at Anfield, only results in the second half of the season can vindicate such a decision.
Yet unlikely does not mean impossible, with it ultimately depending on the opportunities that present themselves on the market in the weeks ahead. While the summer deadline day loan move for Juventus’ Arthur Melo has not yet worked out because of injury, his arrival does at least suggest that Liverpool eyes will remain open this month, given they had previously insisted they would not be signing a new midfielder back in August before bringing in the Brazilian.
As a result, links to the likes of the lower-budget Sofyan Amrabat, Teun Koopmeiners, and Weston McKennie are, at the very least, intriguing and offer faint hope to an increasingly desperate Reds fanbase. Yet confirmation of Virgil van Dijk’s hamstring injury could force their hand once again in a reluctant different direction.
“We’d be stupid not to have him on our radar,” Klopp recently said of Liverpool’s interest in Bellingham when speaking to SportBILD. The Reds would be stupid if they weren’t savvy to their need for a midfield overhaul also.
That promised revamp is coming, with it ultimately commencing in the summer, rightly or wrongly, if not now. One only hopes by then it isn’t too late, if the club don't stumble upon the right opportunities in January.
With Champions League qualification on the line, and the subsequent knock-on effect on future transfer activity, only time will tell how costly Liverpool’s enforced strategic decision-making of recent months proves to be.
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