Results panned out in Liverpool’s favour last weekend, with the Reds earning a dramatic late victory at Brentford before Arsenal blew a two-goal lead at home against Aston Villa.
It feels significant. Liverpool are now six points clear at the top of the Premier League having played a game less than their rivals. It felt for all the world that Arne Slot’s side were stumbling toward their third successive top-flight draw until Darwin Nunez fired two last-gasp strikes past the hitherto imperious Mark Flekken.
Liverpool will need to strike a more consistent chord over the coming months – had Nunez failed to convert, Liverpool would have drawn five of eight recent Premier League games – but there’s no disputing that their grip at the top of the table is tight and the lay of the land up ahead is what many would call ‘winnable’.
21/01/25
Champions League
Lille (H)
25/01/25
Premier League
Ipswich (H)
29/01/25
Champions League
PSV (A)
01/02/25
Premier League
Bournemouth (A)
06/02/25
Carabao Cup
Tottenham (H)
The Merseysiders are in with a shout across every possible road this term and have a talented and balanced squad. However, there’s been a furore among fan circles for fresh quality, especially at the back.
Why Liverpool may not strengthen in January
FSG aren’t exactly known for being rash in the transfer market, and it’s hard to imagine that sporting director Richard Hughes will be prioritising hopeful signings when a darker nimbus looms over Merseyside.
All quiet on the contractual front. The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed over a month ago that Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have been offered new deals, but we’re still lacking a resolution with both players several weeks past being free to negotiate with suitors from overseas.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is also approaching the end of an illustrious Liverpool career, with the boyhood Red being targetted by none other than Real Madrid.
That’s not to say that these complex quandaries are detracting from the prudent planning that has largely been a statement of the FSG era. Liverpool have a host of issues to fix, but Hughes seems set on completing Liverpool’s midfield.
Liverpool chasing new midfielder
According to Football Insider, Liverpool are plotting ahead of the summer transfer window and have set their sights on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes.
Gomes, who is valued at £50m, has been one of the central pillars of the Old Gold system this year but has still found himself embroiled in a relegation battle, something Liverpool will take advantage of should the axe be swung come May.
17th-placed Wolves will be sure to drive a hard bargain, but Liverpool could do with a different type of anchor to act as Ryan Gravenberch’s foil, and Gomes could be the perfect man for the job.
Why Liverpool want Joao Gomes
Gravenberch is a brilliant player, but the Dutchman has started every single one of Liverpool’s Premier League and European fixtures this season and could do with some competition. Wataru Endo is a solid second-half option but lacks in the ball-playing department.
Matches (starts)
20 (20)
21 (21)
Goals
2
0
Assists
1
2
Touches*
57.4
70.1
Pass completion
85%
89%
Key passes*
0.6
0.9
Dribble (success)*
0.7 (62%)
1.0 (59%)
Ball recoveries*
5.4
5.1
Tackles + interceptions*
4.0
3.7
Ground duels (won)*
4.7 (44%)
4.2 (56%)
Liverpool haven’t quite had the rub of the green with injuries this season but they haven’t suffered as greatly as some of the catastrophic crises under Jurgen Klopp, allowing them to stay ahead of Arsenal.
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However, losing a player like Gravenberch would surely be to the detriment of Slot’s title charge, and while Wolves aren’t likely to do business this month, FSG must recognise that the injury front won’t always be so kind and measures need to be put in place ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Gomes could be the “warrior” that Liverpool need, as he has been described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, bringing a perfect robustness to the centre of the park.
Warrior-type qualities are important for a number six, or indeed a multi-functioning powerhouse of a midfielder, and it’s something that former Reds star Fabinho was known for, hailed as such by Liverpool writer Ben Webb.
Given Gomes’ Brazilian heritage, he could shape into Anfield’s next version of Klopp’s anchor force, who joined from Monaco for a £44m fee in 2018 and went on to complete 219 appearances for the Reds, lifting almost every major trophy available.
While Fabinho is a deeper-sitting, less mobile version than his ageing countryman, who now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, Gomes could still work a treat as a successor of sorts, his energy and athletic style better catered to Slot’s system.
Moreover, Gomes would be arriving at Merseyside at a similar point in his career, Fabinho being 24 when he arrived, the same as Gomes will be should he transfer this summer.
Without question, Liverpool will need to bolster in the middle to ease the workload on Gravenberch’s shoulders. Moving to sign Gomes might be the way to go, continuing the Brazilian connection that has worked so well over the past several years and ensuring that Slot’s wonderful tactics are bolstered by a framework that will promote his vision and allow it to sustain itself.
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