Ex-Red Jamie Carragher has called upon his old club to dip into the transfer market to sign a new central defender in the wake of Joel Matip’s injury during the 1-1 draw against West Brom on Sunday evening.
Matip’s latest niggle on the injury front increases the Merseysiders’ growing number of casualties in the centre-back department following both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez sustaining potential season-ending layoffs on the sidelines.
Jurgen Klopp chose to bring on 19-year-old starlet Rhys Williams to take Matip’s vacant position at centre-back alongside a makeshift option in Fabinho for the remaining 30 minutes over the weekend, but Carragher feels that it has now become very important for the Champions of England to add fresh blood to their first-team squad come January.
‘It’s a massive worry but it’s not a new worry,’ Carragher told Sky Sports, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
‘It’s paramount Liverpool sign someone in January.
‘Fabinho’s gone there and looked like a top class centre-back, but Joel Matip is just too injury-prone. He’s a really good player, but his body can’t take the rigours of Premier League football.
‘I still think Liverpool are the best team, but the only way they don’t win it is if they have problems at centre-back and if Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips have to play for a long period.
‘At this moment Liverpool have one senior centre-back this season and he’s injury-prone, so they have to do something.’
Liverpool FC have been for long linked with a move for Brighton first-team regular Ben White as Premier League clubs head into the winter transfer window from 1st January.
Whether Jurgen Klopp decides to go ahead and make a swoop for the 22-year-old Brighton man remains only speculation at this point of time, but Liverpool FC old boy Carragher is convinced of his former team’s need to add reinforcements.
