Liverpool is predicted to have a busy summer after appointing Andoni Iraola as head coach. Although they spent up to 446 million pounds on new signings in 2025, the Anfield team still revealed many limitations in the past season, especially in defense.
Unlike Arne Slot's controlling and cautious style, Iraola is famous for his energetic football philosophy, high-intensity pressing and quick transitions. That means Liverpool needs a defense that is both solid and capable of effectively deploying the ball.
In the context that Mohamed Salah has left the team and attention is focused on options to strengthen the attack, Liverpool is also quietly preparing for a reconstruction in the defense.
Slot's last signing at Anfield is Jeremy Jacquet - a French center-back who joined Rennes for a fee of 60 million pounds. The 20-year-old is considered one of the most promising defensive talents in Europe, but he still needs time to adapt to the Premier League environment.
The appearance of Jacquet partly helps Liverpool fill the void left by Ibrahima Konate after the French center-back left the club on a free transfer. However, Jacquet alone is not enough.
Currently, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are still the two most experienced center-backs in the squad. However, both are entering the final year of their contracts and their future is not really clear.
Besides, Giovanni Leoni is still considered a long-term option. The Italian center-back has not played in the Premier League because he had to rest almost the entire previous season due to a anterior cruciate ligament injury. Therefore, Liverpool is said to be looking for another quality center-back to create a balance between experience and youth.
Goncalo Inacio emerged as the top candidate. The Sporting CP center-back has long been on Liverpool's watch list and is considered very suitable for Iraola's tactical requirements.
At the age of 24, Inacio possesses excellent passing ability, calmness when deploying from the lower line and especially a left-footed advantage. This is an important factor because Liverpool currently depends quite a lot on Van Dijk in the role of left center-back.
Although Inacio's contract release clause is up to 55 million pounds, Sporting is said to be willing to negotiate with a lower fee.
On the right flank, Liverpool also needs to stabilize the situation after the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Last season witnessed Conor Bradley constantly having physical problems, while Jeremie Frimpong has not met expectations. Joe Gomez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones or Calvin Ramsay have all been used in this position but no one has really created peace of mind.
The Kop still places a lot of faith in Bradley. The North Irish defender is expected to return in September and is considered the number one candidate for the right-back position in the long term. If he maintains good fitness, he can completely become a worthy successor to Alexander-Arnold.
Frimpong and Ramsay are likely to play rotation roles next season. On the opposite wing, Andy Robertson's transfer to Tottenham has caused Liverpool to lose an icon of the Jurgen Klopp era. Currently, Milos Kerkez is the only choice for the left-back position.
However, Liverpool's leadership is not too worried when Kostas Tsimikas is expected to return after a period playing on loan at Roma. The Greek defender can take on the role of backup for Kerkez without the club having to spend more money in the transfer market.
