Everyone at Football FanCast is devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. We are sending our thoughts and prayers to their friends, families, teammates and loved ones.
There was a point last season when Liverpool had established a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League yet still failed to earn the respect and, perhaps, fear, of their closest title rivals.
You might have traced it back further. Before a ball had been kicked, BBC Sport’s 30 experts had a go at naming their pick for the league champion. Each of the pundits failed to choose Liverpool, who won the Premier League at a canter, ten points ahead of Arsenal at the finish despite loosening standards across the final four fixtures.
In fact, Stephen Warnock and Fara Williams were the only BBC Sport pundits to declare Liverpool would finish in the top two. Make no mistake, the Reds were hardly expected to challenge for the title after losing Jurgen Klopp, but Klopp left an incredible, dynamic team behind, and FSG bagged Slot gold, having barely dipped into the transfer market.
Is it any wonder Liverpool have attacked the market with such vicious intent? The Merseysiders have spent around £200m this summer and more is yet to come, with striker Hugo Ekitike and Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi both fixed at the top of the shopping list.
In Guehi’s case, Eagles chairman Steve Parish might prove to be too tricky a negotiator, pricing his captain at £50m despite their being just one year remaining on his contract.
But should Liverpool push ahead all the same?
Why Liverpool want Marc Guehi
Liverpool could wrap up their transfer window right now and be content. Who wouldn’t after signing Florian Wirtz for a British-record £116m fee? The German talent, plucked from his heralded position in the Bundesliga, could revolutionise the Anfield side.
But Liverpool would like to pack more quality across other positions. Sporting director Richard Hughes tried and failed to convince Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen to join from Bournemouth in May, but in Guehi, Liverpool might find the perfect alternative.
His leadership and composure, technical qualities and combativeness all see him align with Slot’s vision, especially if a breakthrough cannot be found with Ibrahima Konate, who has 12 months left on his own deal as Los Blancos look to pilfer more talent from Liverpool’s chest.
Jarell Quansah has also been sold to Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £35m.
Liverpool want Guehi, and they want him bad. However, they are open to a variety of options and could hit the jackpot with a certain alternative hailing from the German scene.
Liverpool in race for Bundesliga star
Liverpool have registered their interest in RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba, who, according to Foot Mercato, is being chased by the Reds, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.
With a €90m (£77m) release clause, Lukeba wouldn’t come cheap – although it’s unlikely that the suitors would pay such a figure.
However, with the France international open to leaving, Leipzig would be willing to cash in for a more modest sum, for they finished sixth in the Bundesliga last term and thus have no European football to look forward to in 2025/26.
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What Castello Lukeba would bring to Liverpool
When previously discussing Lukeba’s potential transfer to Liverpool, analyst Ben Mattinson said that Anfield would represent the “perfect move” for the defender.
Indeed, Lukeba’s “freak profile”, positively spoken in regard to his athleticism and versatility, bespeaks his suitability in Slot’s system.
And have Liverpool not hit the jackpot many times when raiding the Bundesliga for exciting young prospects?
Wirtz, indeed, is a fine example of this; he might not have kicked a ball on Merseyside yet, but the 22-year-old is destined for greatness.
Lukeba is only 22 and has already demonstrated his qualities superbly across the 2024/25 campaign, ranked among the top 13% of central defenders in Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted, the top 20% for progressive passes, the top 12% for progressive carries and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, as well as the top 15% for aerial duel success rate, as per FBref.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
His energy and hunger to win duels and fend off opposing forwards blends with a sharp technicality that Slot would use to instil calm through Liverpool’s backline. The progressiveness that we can observe through his attacking metrics only emphasises his wide-ranging skill set further.
Matches (starts)
23 (18)
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches*
65.4
Pass completion
87%
Key passes*
0.2
Dribbles*
0.9
Ball recoveries*
3.2
Tackles + interceptions*
2.0
Clearances*
3.0
Duels (won)*
4.0 (65%)
This “leader”, as he’s been described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would follow Wirtz in being a young Bundesliga talent stepping into Slot’s squad to plug a gap and potentially rise toward the uppermost level of the game.
He has the potential, to be sure. Having already completed 72 appearances for Leipzig after transferring from French side Lyon, where he played 68 times after cutting his teeth in the club’s academy, there’s a wealth of experience which Liverpool could build upon.
Moreover, Lukeba has rebounded from injury setbacks throughout his youthful career in a similar vein to Wirtz, whose ACL injury as a teenager preceded his invincible domestic campaign of 2023/24 with Bayer Leverkusen, when he was crowned the Bundesliga Player of the Year.
Lukeba might not carry quite the same stock, but he’s an immensely talented defender targeted by one of the best clubs in the world.
Following Konate, Joel Matip, Bobby Firmino and more from making his way from Germany to Anfield, this young centre-half could define the coming era on Merseyside, along with Wirtz.
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