When Liverpool fans start mapping out squad depth, it always gets tempting to jump straight to the big, neat solutions: a ready-made full-back here, an established centre-half there, job done. But the truth is, a lot of the most realistic answers might already be under the club’s roof, or at least already on the books.
That’s why I keep coming back to the likes of Calvin Ramsay. If you think he’s looked good, then it feels backwards to file him away as nothing more than an “alternate” right-back. Full-backs need rhythm, timing and confidence. If you only ever see them in the odd cup tie or as an emergency change, you never really learn what you’ve got.
Ramsay and the value of actually settling in
There’s a wider point here: Liverpool are at their best when roles are clear. If Ramsay is part of the plan, give him minutes that mean something. Let him settle into the pace and physicality rather than constantly resetting the clock. Not every solution has to be a new signing with a highlight reel.
And yes, names get thrown around. Givaro Read has been linked for a while, and fans will always keep half an eye on those kinds of options. But linking a player and landing a player are very different things, especially mid-season.
January reality check at centre-back
On centre-halves, it’s hard to see certain moves happening in January. If you’re looking at the sort of defenders who would instantly raise the level, they tend not to be easy to prise away in the middle of a campaign. That’s not negativity, that’s just how the market usually works.
Even when a name sounds perfect, the details often kill it. If the idea is Nico Schlotterbeck, for example, you can see why people like the fit. But if he’s contracted until 2027, the “free in 18 months” dream doesn’t really stack up.
Left-back: do we really need another reserve?
Similar story at left-back. Would a player like Mitchell really come to Liverpool to be second choice? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s fair to ask whether the smarter play is simply trusting the academy pathway a bit more.
Owen Beck is the obvious one to mention because he’s already had a taste of senior football and he’s done the hard yards in the lower divisions. That matters. The game looks different when it’s cold, scrappy and you’re asked to defend your box as much as you attack.
And on Andy Robertson, I’m with anyone who says he still has something to give. Not necessarily week in, week out forever. But as a high-level option while a newer left-back like Kerkez adapts? That’s sensible squad building, not sentiment.
Finally, at centre-back, it’s worth remembering Liverpool are also building a longer-term group. If you’re talking about prospects like Leoni, then you have to include the teenage centre-backs the club are bringing in too, including the left-footed Mor Talla Ndiaye. They’re all part of the same picture: planning depth properly, not just buying it.
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