Liverpool appear to be shifting focus toward the January transfer window as they look to rescue a season that has fallen far below expectations. Despite a massive summer spend, the Premier League champions have struggled to find consistency, forcing Arne Slot to cool any talk of defending the title.
The Reds invested close to £450 million in new talent during the summer window, smashing their transfer record twice—first with the arrival of Florian Wirtz, then later with Alexander Isak. The club also splashed out on Hugo Ekitike (£79m), Milos Kerkez (£40m), Jeremie Frimpong (£29.5m), and Giovanni Leoni (£26m).
Yet with injuries mounting and performances dipping, Liverpool may still be pushed into making more additions when the window reopens. Slot has now offered a fresh insight into the club’s thinking—while the situation surrounding Harvey Elliott’s loan at Aston Villa has also become clearer.
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Slot Hints at Liverpool’s January Strategy 👀
Despite losing Giovanni Leoni to a season-ending ACL injury and seeing their late-summer move for Marc Guehi collapse, Slot insists that signing another centre-back is not the priority right now.
Liverpool currently have just three fit senior centre-backs, and uncertainty still surrounds Ibrahima Konaté as his contract enters its final months. Even with these concerns, Slot suggested that the club’s attention is drifting toward strengthening other areas of the squad.
Speaking at his press conference before Liverpool’s meeting with Nottingham Forest, Slot said he is not focused on winter signings:
> “There are so many matches before the winter break. Transfers are the last thing on my mind—maybe not for Richard Hughes, but certainly for me.”
He also hinted that Liverpool’s issues lie elsewhere, despite growing links to a January move for Antoine Semenyo.
Slot added that Liverpool still have options who can fill in at centre-back if needed, including Joe Gomez, and even midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo, who have shown versatility before.
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Harvey Elliott’s Aston Villa Situation Explained 🟣➡️🔴
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has shed light on why Harvey Elliott has barely featured since joining the club on loan deadline day.
Elliott has made just five appearances so far—largely because of intense competition in the attacking midfield role, and partially due to the adaptation period every player faces.
Under the loan agreement, Aston Villa would need to pay £35 million to make the deal permanent if Elliott plays five more matches, which adds an extra layer of caution to his usage.
Emery explained that while Elliott is training well and showing strong commitment, Villa’s current form and tactical structure mean he simply hasn’t forced his way into the lineup yet.
He also pointed to Emi Buendía’s resurgence as a major factor, noting that players develop at different speeds and Elliott might need more time to fully settle into Villa’s demanding system.
> “Harvey is working consistently and with great attitude,” Emery said. “But adaptation takes time, and the team’s expectations are very high. He will get his moment—he just needs patience.”
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