Marc Guehi is a very good centre-back, and I’d have been happy to see him in red. But the minute you’re talking about £250k a week and a hefty fee for someone with less than six months left on his deal, you’ve drifted away from smart recruitment and into “just because we can” territory.

That’s not really Liverpool, and it shouldn’t become Liverpool either. Not when the whole point of doing things properly is making sure the wage structure doesn’t get blown up because one deal got emotional. You can admire a player and still decide the price is wrong.

Wages and fees still matter, even for good players

The wages being mentioned are the sort of numbers that change a dressing room. It’s not just “can we afford it?” It’s “what does that do to every other negotiation we’ve got coming up?” Because once one lad comes in on massive money, suddenly everyone’s agent is pointing at it and pushing for the same.

And on the fee side, paying £30m-plus for a player who’s close to being able to choose his next club freely is hard to swallow. Sometimes you do it for the perfect fit, but you’d want it to be a properly exceptional situation. Otherwise, you’re basically paying a premium to solve a problem in a hurry, and that’s how clubs get sloppy.

If Palace won’t play ball, walking away is the play

By all accounts, Crystal Palace have been very unreasonable this winter. And if that’s the case, then fair enough: you step back, you don’t get dragged into a bidding war, and you don’t let another club’s stance dictate your strategy.

If Guehi wants to take big money elsewhere straight away, then good luck to him. No hard feelings. Players get short careers and they’ll make choices that suit them. Liverpool can’t run itself on disappointment every time someone prefers a different route.

But Liverpool still need a Plan B with legs

The bit that nags is what happens next. If Guehi is the first choice and he’s genuinely available on our terms later, you can see the logic in waiting. But it only works if you’ve got a proper second option ready to move, and you’re not stuck in limbo.

If the alternative target isn’t out of contract, then waiting around doesn’t magically make the deal easier. It just pushes the decision down the road and risks leaving you short. Joel Ordonez is one name fans have floated, and whether it’s him or someone else, the principle is the same: if you’re not getting your number one, act like a serious club and pivot quickly.

From the outside looking in, it feels like Hughes should have had that track running alongside the main one. Not panicking, not overpaying, but prepared. Because the best teams don’t just identify talent, they time it properly.

Written by MK Scouser: 20 January 2026

Tags: efl transfers tactics