The issue of Liverpool’s centre-backs continues to become one of Arne Slot’s biggest concerns, so Scouts reportedly told Michael Edwards to sign an alternative to Marc Guehi.
Liverpool’s centre back problem
For all of the £400 million spent over the summer, Liverpool still had one obvious problem when he came over as centre-back. Edwards and Richard Hughes remained stubborn in their attitude that it was Guech or nothing, but it worked very little in their favor. The Crystal Palace defender was a few hours away from becoming a Liverpool player, but Crystal Palace pulled the plug and left the red hanging.
Without England International, Liverpool would turn to Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Conate, injury-prone Joe Gomez and young Giovanni Leoni. It appears to be doomed to be one of their biggest issues, and then Leoni’s season-ending ACL injury sparked further concern that slots could be forced towards some auxiliary options.
And what’s not helping the problem is in Konate’s form. The Frenchman, who is less than 12 months in his current contract, is far from his best, and has guilty of many errors in successive defeats to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.
Conate’s performance comes at the wrong time in front of Anfield as Real Madrid sniffs around and contract talks proceed without a resolution. However, after Leoni’s injury, slots can only resort to Gomez if they want to drop the defender.
It’s a problem that the Reds are likely to resolve in 2026, but that may not be able to see Guehi arrive. Instead, the scouts reportedly told Edwards to sign an unexpected option.
Liverpool Scouts tell Edwards to sign Lacroix
As reported by Football Insider, Liverpool scouts are now telling Edwards to sign Maxence Lacroix at Crystal Palace, not Guech. The people of Anfield call the French defender “Rolls-Royce” and believe he is one of the best centre-backs the Premier League has to offer.
Even if Liverpool decides to pursue Lacroix, it would be an incredible blow to the palace. As for the people of Anfield, they will sign an underrated portion of the Eagles’ current 19-game unbeaten run at all competitions.
PL Statistics 25/26 | lacroix | Guehi |
|---|---|---|
start | 6 | 6 |
Progressive Pass | 8 | twenty three |
A successful air duel | 17 | 13 |
Ball recovery | 16 | 19 |
By comparison, it’s easy to see why the Palace is unbeaten in all competitions in 19 games. Lacroix and Guehi have formed one of the most impressive partnerships in the Premier League this season, but Liverpool can only choose one.
Edwards and Hughes are already familiar with Guech, but there’s no denying that Lacroix is worth a look. With increasing interest in the former elsewhere, the Reds were able to surprise everyone by signing the latter in 2026.
