Thomas Tuchel’s arrival at Chelsea may be a good sign for Liverpool in late transfer hunt

Liverpool: Klopp admits new centre-back would help

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp could hold out hope for a late swoop for a centre-back this month after seeing Thomas Tuchel arrive at Chelsea on Tuesday. Klopp has made it abundantly clear that he has wanted cover in defence throughout the January transfer window, but the decision is out of his hands.

Reports have suggested that Liverpool officials are unwilling to yield on their position of not signing a centre-back this month due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

But they have clearly been doing their due diligence over the past few weeks having contacted former Arsenal defender Sokratis last week before he joined Olympiakos.

There are now only a few days left of the transfer window for Liverpool to bring in cover in defence with the club desperate for a boost.

Klopp’s side have dropped outside the top four and could slip down as low as seventh if they lose to Tottenham on Thursday.

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Confidence appears low at Liverpool across the whole team and that clearly stems from a shift in the pack where Fabinho has had to drop into a makeshift centre-back role.

While the Brazilian has looked strong in defence, there have also been a number of games where he’s looked shaky and his presence in midfield has been dearly missed.

It’s broken up the rhythm that Liverpool had built to win the Premier League title last season.

But a quick arrival of a new centre-back would undoubtedly give the club a much-needed boost heading into the second half of the season and Tuchel’s appointment at Chelsea could be a sign that things won’t be too complicated.

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It was initially feared that any international players or coaches entering the UK would need to self isolate for 10 days upon arrival.

However, there is an allowance for workers flying into an elite sports environment to avoid full quarantine by testing negative for COVID-19.

Tuchel had clearly tested negative upon his arrival as took his first training session late Tuesday evening.

He is expected to take charge of his first game this evening against Wolves, but will still have to self isolate when not at training or matches until the standard five-day test-to-release period ends.

It means Liverpool could follow a similar route when looking at potential centre-back options in the final few days of the transfer window.

There are a host of players who are set to become free agents in the summer, including Bayern Munich’s David Alaba, and clubs may be willing to listen to offers now instead of losing them for free in six months’ time.

Liverpool’s transfer officials have been praised in recent years for not going out for a panic buy, but bringing in a player who is desperately needed with their title aspirations hanging in the balance will surely only enhance their chances.

And knowing they could be ready instantly upon an agreement being met will be music to Klopp’s ears.

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