Liverpool went into the summer transfer market determined to build the future of their defence. But events have moved so fast that the crisis is no longer about tomorrow. It is about right now. Injuries, the departure of key players and the raw state of the new arrivals have left manager Andoni Iraola facing a major challenge, and signing an experienced centre-back has become an option he can no longer put off.
Two defenders caught the eye of Liverpool's scouts during the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar last November, prompting the club to move quickly and secure their signatures.
Within weeks, the Reds spent a total of £3.5 million to bring in the Senegalese Mour Tala Ndiaye and the Austrian Ifianya Ndwikoy.
Matt Newberry, Liverpool's director of global talent, oversaw the move as part of a long-term plan to secure the team's future at centre-back.
Yet nobody inside the club expected these two youngsters to be leading the first-team defence for most of pre-season's opening match.
Gomez's injury reveals the scale of the crisis
Joe Gomez limped off against Sunderland after just eight minutes, while neither Jérémie Jacquet nor Giovanni Leoni were ready to feature. The numbers problem at the heart of defence was suddenly laid bare.
Investing in young talent may be a vital pillar for the club's future, but the team's current needs demand immediate solutions.
New manager Andoni Iraola had admitted, even before Gomez's injury, that his squad was suffering an "acute numerical shortage" in the back line.
Gomez missed the training session Liverpool held in Chicago on Sunday, and the club is expected to issue an update this week on the nature and severity of the injury.
The longest-serving of the current squad, Gomez has seen his Liverpool career badly disrupted by injuries.
According to Transfermarkt, the English defender has missed 225 matches since joining Liverpool from Charlton in 2015, a figure that lays bare just how much he has endured over the past years.
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Van Dijk fights alone
Right now, Virgil van Dijk is the only centre-back physically ready in the first team.
At 35, and having played every minute of the Premier League last season, the Liverpool captain no longer delivers the physical levels that set him apart in his golden years.
Van Dijk's contract, like Gomez's, is also entering its final year at Anfield, opening the door to both leaving by the end of next season.
Liverpool officials see Jérémie Jacquet, 21, and Giovanni Leoni, 19, as the club's future in this position.
That is why the club did not stand in the way of Ibrahima Konaté's free transfer to Real Madrid, having invested £60 million to sign Jacquet and £26 million to bring in Leoni, rating them among the brightest rising defensive talents in France and Italy.
Jacquet is expected to make his Liverpool debut against Leeds United on Sunday, with the club giving the pair enough time to develop and reach their full potential.
The current reality, though, tells its own story. Like Ndiaye and Ndwikoy, they are still at the start of their careers and need more time and experience.
Complex calculations in the transfer market
Speaking to "BBC Sport" from New York City, where Liverpool are preparing to face Wrexham, club legend Robbie Fowler insisted the team needs urgent defensive reinforcements.
He said: "We need players, and this is quite clear. I feel very sad for Joe Gomez, he has suffered a lot because of injuries, and this was a real opportunity for him to prove that the team does not need to sign a new centre-back."
He continued: "We spent big money to sign Jacquet and Leoni, but having experienced players like Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk alongside them would have been an important factor in their development."
Fowler concluded: "We will not see the best version of these young players at the moment, so the team needs experience, and the manager himself has publicly announced his need for players, and I would not be surprised if signing a new centre-back is among the club's priorities."
Liverpool's failure to sign Marc Guéhi last summer has become a bigger talking point in light of the current crisis.
The club holds a clause allowing them to buy back Jarell Quansah, who moved to Bayer Leverkusen for £35 million last July, but there are no plans to bring him back at present.
Sources close to the club confirm that a potential move for Bradley Barcola, whom Paris Saint-Germain want more than £100 million to sell, would limit Liverpool's ability to close additional deals during the mercato.
The signings of Jacquet and Victor Munoz reached £94.5 million, and without major sales this summer, the club is not expected to repeat last summer's record spending of £450 million.
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A promising future, and a present that needs a solution
Fowler, who scored 183 goals for Liverpool, stressed that a balanced squad is one of the secrets of success.
He said: "When you look at Liverpool over the past decade, you find that the starting line-up was extremely strong, but the debate was always about the depth of the substitutes' bench. I firmly believe in the importance of building a balanced squad, because that maintains the competitive spirit within the team, and makes every player realise that his place is not guaranteed."
Citing club legend Phil Neal, he added: "Players at that time were afraid of getting injured, because they knew that whoever replaced them might not leave them a chance to return. This mentality is essential, and it has a direct impact on raising the standards of performance within the team."
Between last summer and January 2026, Liverpool signed five centre-backs who were no older than 20 at the time: Giovanni Leoni, Mour Tala Ndiaye, Ifianya Ndwikoy, Noah Adekoya and Jérémie Jacquet.
Ndwikoy is expected to head out on loan this season, having not yet met the conditions for a UK work permit despite his impressive display against Sunderland.
Liverpool's management does not appear worried about the long-term future at centre-back. But the present tells a different story. The team is short on experience, and it is a gap that needs urgent attention if the Reds want to compete strongly this season.