'I probably blame myself' - Arne Slot reveals true thoughts on Liverpool squad amid injury crisis and failed Lutsharel Geertruida transfer

The reigning Premier League champions invested heavily during the summer of 2025, with records being broken in big-money deals for the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. The season has, however, become a testing one on Merseyside.

Fitness setbacks have hindered the collective cause, with Slot rarely in a position to name a settled side. He has often been forced to get creative at the back, with Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni ruled out for the season. Jeremie Frimpong now finds himself on the treatment table, while Joe Gomez has sat out two matches with a hip problem.

Liverpool have lined up long-term reinforcements, with a £60 million ($81m) deal being agreed for promising Rennes centre-half Jeremy Jacquet, but the 20-year-old Frenchman will not arrive until the summer.

The Reds had explored the option of taking Dutch defender Lutsharel Geertruida on loan, which would have required Sunderland to terminate their own agreement and RB Leipzig to sign off on another. No deal was done and Slot is having to make do as Liverpool take in Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League competition.

He has said of managing a pack that needs to be shuffled on a regular basis: “I’m very happy with the squad. Let that be clear. But it’s all clear and obvious that we have three long-term injuries. That’s why we’ve tried to strengthen the squad in the winter break and the player you mentioned [Geertruida], in the end, wasn’t available.

“That we tried to strengthen the squad is clear and that tells you we think that it would have helped us. But we’re not going to sign players that are not good enough to play for this club.

“I think there’s more to come from this group of players than we’ve got out of them until now - for obvious reasons. Some reasons I probably blame myself a little bit but some things I cannot do anything about: injuries, a player’s not ready to play three games a week.

“But if we have an injury crisis, even more than we already have, then that makes things even more difficult. We know what the situation is. This squad is able to do better and more than we’ve done until now, but then they all need to stay available. And that’s going to be a hell of a challenge because we have three games in seven days coming up.”

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Slot is fully aware of the parameters that he is working under at Anfield and maintains that he will always put the club’s needs before his own, with the Dutchman prepared to accept that more business in January was not possible.

He added: “I have always worked the same. I always want the best for the club even if in the short term it is not ideal for me. I am not saying it is but if it means this, I would always go for the signing that is best for the club.

“I knew which club I went into. This club has a model of signing talented younger players. I have always liked to work in that way.

“I’ve said that we’ve tried to strengthen the squad [now] and I don’t think I was the only one who wanted that. But it’s always about availability and the right player. 

“We do have discussions about what is good for the short and for the long term of the club, and now, for example, Jeremy Jacquet wasn’t available for the winter, but he was for the summer. We’ve made a decision to sign him because we think he’s a really good signing for the future of this club.”

In the immediate future, Liverpool are readying themselves for a crunch clash with old adversaries Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday. Slot’s side head into that contest sat sixth in the Premier League table, but only two points adrift of Manchester United in fourth.