New Centre-Back Options for Liverpool: Schlotterbeck in the Frame as Guehi Stalls.

Liverpool are aggressively seeking new centre-back options for the 2025/26 season as they face growing depth concerns, spearheaded by injury issues and failed transfer moves. The club’s serious interest in Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck is intensifying, while their pursuit of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi has stalled amid soaring competition and contract complexities. This blog analyzes Liverpool’s strategic need, evaluates player profiles, and forecasts broader market implications for their defensive rebuild, with deep insights into Schlotterbeck’s suitability and Guehi’s uncertain transfer status.​

Liverpool’s Centre-Back Crisis

Liverpool’s centre-back situation has reached a critical juncture ahead of the January 2026 transfer window. Veteran leader Virgil van Dijk, now 34, requires careful management to stay fit, while Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez—their primary rotation options—have long-standing injury histories that make them unreliable for a full campaign. Summer signing Giovanni Leoni suffered a season-ending ACL injury, leaving the club with just three senior centre-backs.​

This defensive depletion highlights a structural vulnerability that could jeopardize Liverpool’s ambitions both domestically and in Europe. Squad depth is essential—especially under Arne Slot, whose high-octane style and data-driven recruitment philosophy demand versatile, robust defenders capable of playing a high line and executing progressive build-up play.​

Marc Guehi: The Stalled Transfer

The Guehi Saga

Liverpool’s long-standing interest in Marc Guehi has been well documented. The club reached a £35 million agreement with Crystal Palace on deadline day this past summer, only for Palace to pull the plug when unable to secure a replacement, despite Guehi completing a medical. The collapse of the deal left Guehi frustrated but determined to maintain professionalism, as Palace manager Oliver Glasner insisted on keeping his captain at least for another season.​

Guehi’s Strengths and Fit

Marc Guehi’s profile fits Liverpool’s requirements perfectly. He is a right-footed, Premier League-proven centre-back, comfortable operating in a high line and defending large spaces behind him, thanks to his pace and anticipation. Guehi is calm under pressure, able to play short passes into midfield, and switch play—skills pivotal for Liverpool’s build-out system. His familiarity with English football means no adaptation risk, making him one of the most attractive options for the Reds.​

Contract Situation and Rivals

With Guehi’s contract expiring next summer, Liverpool initially planned to wait for a potential free transfer. However, the landscape has shifted dramatically since Real Madrid and Bayern Munich expressed strong interest, with both clubs opening communication with Guehi’s camp. The influx of top European suitors increases the risk of a drawn-out transfer saga and may force Liverpool to act decisively in January, potentially paying a premium for his acquisition.​

Fan and Expert Opinions

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy is among those urging the club to “go all out” for Guehi in January, emphasizing his league readiness and all-around centre-back qualities as vital to Liverpool’s defensive stability. Yet, as journalist Fabrizio Romano and others note, Liverpool now face an aggressive market and cannot afford to stall while rivals make their move.​

Nico Schlotterbeck: The Dortmund Contender

Emergence as a Prime Target

With the Guehi deal stagnant, Liverpool have moved swiftly to expand their shortlist. The most significant recent development involves Nico Schlotterbeck, the 25-year-old German international, currently at Borussia Dortmund. Club insiders and reports confirm that Liverpool have already held “positive talks” with Schlotterbeck’s representatives, signaling real intent and awareness of his contract situation—the player remains under contract until 2027 but faces renewal pressure from Dortmund.​

Player Attributes and Suitability

Schlotterbeck offers an attractive mix: left-footed, experienced in elite competition, and an outstanding ball progressor. He has clocked over 100 Bundesliga appearances and earned more than 20 German caps since 2024. Slot’s tactical preference for in-possession centre-backs makes Schlotterbeck a logical fit—his statistics for passes attempted, progressive carries, and take-ons place him in the top bracket among European defenders.​

He is physical, robust in aerial duels, and played in a system at Dortmund that prioritizes high lines and aggressive pressure, making his adaptation to Liverpool’s defensive philosophy plausible. Supporters see Schlotterbeck as the archetype of a Liverpool signing: mid-20s, upwardly mobile, experienced at a high level, but still with room for improvement.​

Transfer Dynamics and Market Implications

Dortmund reportedly want to offer Schlotterbeck a lucrative extension worth up to €9 million per year. But Liverpool’s approach, described by TEAMtalk and other sources as “strategic” rather than speculative, demonstrates that the club is not willing to be caught flat-footed—a notable shift after the failed pursuit of Alexander Isak last window. Liverpool’s willingness to open talks with secondary options before the primary target’s saga is resolved shows a more flexible, proactive recruitment philosophy under Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes.​

Beyond Guehi and Schlotterbeck: Other Candidates

While Guehi and Schlotterbeck lead the headlines, Liverpool maintain a wider scouting lens. Other notable centre-back options linked include Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Castello Lukeba (RB Leipzig), Bremer (Juventus), Ousmane Diomande (Sporting CP), Maxence Lacroix (Wolfsburg), Joel Ordonez (Club Brugge), Konstantinos Koulierakis (Wolfsburg), and Giovanni Leoni (Parma).​

• Lukeba’s Appeal: At 22, Castello Lukeba brings left-footed balance and elite ball progression, but his price tag—estimated at £52 million—steers Liverpool toward proven, more affordable targets.​
• Young Prospects: Giovanni Leoni, sidelined by injury, had emerged as an exciting future prospect. Meanwhile, Ordonez and Koulierakis offer youth and versatility, crucial for longer-term planning but not immediate solutions.​

Tactical Needs: Slot’s Defensive Blueprint

Arne Slot’s system, rooted in aggressive pressing, possession-based buildup, and tactical flexibility, demands agile, technically proficient defenders who are comfortable in both open and tight spaces. Liverpool’s defensive frailties when Van Dijk is absent or not at peak form become glaring due to overreliance on injury-prone backups. Slot values in-possession quality, positional intelligence, and physical resilience—traits embodied by both Guehi and Schlotterbeck, albeit with different risk profiles.​

Liverpool’s recruitment, heavily data-led since Edwards returned, prioritizes profiles matching not just the technical requirements, but also psychological adaptability and squad harmony. The shift toward left-footed centre-backs, like Schlotterbeck and Lukeba, reflects an effort to add build-up diversity and positional balance to the defensive line.​

Transfer Strategy: Risks and Rewards

Liverpool’s recent transfer conduct has moved from calculated patience to strategic agility. The Guehi saga showed that waiting for the perfect deal can backfire as market conditions shift and competition intensifies. With Schlotterbeck, the club is actively engaging in preliminary talks, ready to pivot quickly if his situation evolves favorably. This marks an evolution in risk management under the current sporting structure.​

Pushing for a January deal with Guehi could mean paying above market value but securing a player familiar with the league and delivering immediate impact. Chasing Schlotterbeck, meanwhile, is a play for upside: a defender with higher technical ceiling but small adaptation risk from Bundesliga to Premier League. Liverpool’s willingness to negotiate simultaneously on multiple fronts shows they’ll avoid previous errors where backup plans were neglected.​

Fan expectations remain high, and media consensus is clear: Liverpool must reinforce in January or risk undermining Slot’s promising progress and leaving Van Dijk exposed.​

Conclusion: The Road Ahead

Liverpool’s hunt for new centre-back reinforcements reflects a club learning from recent setbacks. The failed signing of Guehi and Leoni’s untimely injury exposed a major squad weakness, triggering a more adaptive, multi-pronged search for both immediate and future solutions. Nico Schlotterbeck stands out as the leading candidate for a January transfer, with talks already described as “positive”—but Guehi remains in the frame if Crystal Palace can be persuaded to sell amid outside interest.​

Liverpool’s success will hinge on decisive negotiation, tactical fit, and balancing the squad’s short-term needs with longer-term planning. Both Schlotterbeck and Guehi represent ideal profiles for Arne Slot’s evolving Liverpool, where defensive reliability, technical progression, and squad depth will be key to sustaining Premier League and Champions League ambitions. The January window promises to be decisive—and possibly transformative—for Liverpool’s back line.

~~~ By Dribble Diaries