At the transfer deadline, Liverpool celebrated the record-breaking acquisition of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isaac, finishing weeks of speculation and hostility towards his future.
Isaac is desperate to sign Anfield’s side, and he has his wish in the final time. Liverpool has gems. Critic Alan Shearer said in early 2025 that “everything about his game is of the best quality.”
But it didn’t all go down the Reds’ path, with Crystal Palace centre back Mark Guech’s prolonged summer pursuit ultimately leaving them empty-handed.
Everything seemed ready to be greener as the three Lions stars completed their medical care with the Premier League champions, but external issues left the 25-year-old at Selhurst Park.
Why Liverpool wanted Mark Guech
With Ibrahima Conate entering the final year of his contract with Liverpool, it was important that a fresh defensive look beneath him as skipper Virgil van Dik turned 34 in July approached the Twilight of his career.
And sports director Richard Hughes has come closer to making its arrival, as he has been pursuing England International over the summer and has been eagerly eagerly waiting for a green light from Eagles Chairman Steve Parish.
He said he was “England’s best player” at the 2024 European Championships by analyst Ben Matinson. Nguehe’s cool and collected defensive presence merged with an easy ball-play game that suggests he’ll dovetail quickly to the Liverpool team in the slot.
FSG retains confidence in the Real Guard options, but Guehi had added icing to the cake. In particular, slots are defending their Premier League titles and are looking to challenge silverware on the front line.
League Statistics 24/25 -Guehi vs Leoni | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (*per game) | Guehi | Leoni |
Match (start) | 34 (34) | 17 (14) |
the goal | 3 | 1 |
assist | 2 | 0 |
touch* | 64.9 | 46.9 |
Pass completed | 84% | 89% |
Key Pass* | 0.5 | 0.1 |
Ball recovery* | 4.3 | 2.0 |
dribble* | 0.4 | 0.2 |
Tackle + Intercept* | 2.6 | 1.7 |
clearance* | 4.6 | 3.6 |
Duels (winning)* | 4.9 (59%) | 2.5 (61%) |
An error has occurred | 2 | 1 |
All data via sofa score | ||
Leoni is a top talent, and the hope is that he one day stands where Van Dick stood as a long-term star for Liverpool. But he’s not the only teenage prospect the club boasts, but the existing members of the slot team will be ready to cover the gaps where Guehi is supposed to be.
Liverpool already has its own Guehi
Without a doubt, Leoni is one of the most exciting defensive outlooks in the business, with only 18 remaining open for improvement in the coming years.
However, Italian International will also need time to develop skills in the coming years, and will eventually reach a level where he will thrive as a regular starter.
Joe Gomez is despite his interest in transfers from elsewhere on the deadline, his experience has helped Leoni soften the way things go, and the same can be said about fellow teenager Amara Naro.
Naro isn’t off to a perfect start on the senior side of the slots. I have to say it. In January, Naro was sent out on his professional debut, and joined the fight during the closure stage, hacking Johan Bakayoko. Unfortunately, Slot said after the match the youngster would “learn” from his mistakes.
It remains Liverpool’s Naro’s only senior, but he has sat three more first team games on the bench over the 2024/25 season, giving him his obvious quality to emerge from the academy, and was able to prove he is very strong and technically proficient at one of his levels.
Certainly, being sent to your big bow isn’t too gay-hee, but the palace man received an indirect card suspension last season, showing that he too has the ability to make a mistake.
And Naro had been described in the past as “centre-back Rolls-Royce” by West Ham coach Carlton Cole, so a simple mistake didn’t make him define him.
Strangely enough, Naro is 2 feet so it could potentially cover Vandic and Conate throughout the course of the campaign. England U19 International has earned 53 appearances for Liverpool youth side in the two years he was on the Margeside.
I wanted to sign Guehi for quality and experience at the highest level, not to mention Liverpool, but perhaps the ability on both sides of the central defense also caught Hughes’ attention. After all, the English star was described by the aforementioned analyst Matinson as “one of the versatile CBs who can play both sides equally comfortably.”
The attempt to sign Liverpool’s Guech has annoyed the Red’s fanbase, but he was very close to seeing the defenders wearing the Red, but people like Leoni and Naro probably gave them a quiet cheer as they have probably been on a clearer path towards playing time for months.
Naro might be like a forgotten guy at this point, but he was entrusted with the first team role in the big stage last season.
Given his tactical tendencies like Guehi, this is probably a great opportunity he needs to make that leap and prove he deserves a long-term role in Liverpool’s first team.
