Liverpool made ‘massive’ transfer mistake but can fix it for triple the money this summer

Liverpool have been told to make a signing before the window closes – but one former target could have already solved a major issue.

Arne Slot splashed £450million on transfers after winning the Premier League title, but the Reds now sit in sixth in the table.

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The defending champions are 14 points behind leaders Arsenal and out of the Champions League places for next year as things stand.

The Reds are in the midst of an injury crisis, headlined by record signing Alexander Isak, who has had surgery on an ankle injury.

Giovanni Leoni suffered an ACL injury on his debut for the club in September, while Conor Bradley is also out for the rest of this season.

Both Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez have been absent in recent weeks, with Jeremie Frimpong then pulling up against Qarabag.

On any potential incomings before deadline day, the Athletic’s James Pearce told talkSPORT’s Inside Liverpool: “At the moment, there’s still no sign of the club’s stance changing.

“I think some people thought at the start of the month that they’re just keeping their cards close to the chest when a lot of the reporters on this patch kind of wrote that it was fully expected to be a quiet window.

“They pointed to just how much Liverpool had spent last summer and also a belief that the players that Liverpool feel they want aren’t available now, certainly not at the kind of price they’d be willing to pay.

“So they were going to sit tight, over the course of the month, with the injury situation that’s obviously been compounded by Ibrahima Konate’s compassionate leave after the loss of his father.

“It’s just cranked up that scrutiny, hasn’t it, especially as you said on the defensive options, with five defenders missing now.

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“But I’d be surprised, just because I think Liverpool don’t really go down the route of short-term fixes.

“The last time they did that [Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies], that didn’t really work out too well, did it? You throw into the mix when they kind of panicked with the deadline approaching, and signed Arthur Melo on loan.

“It’s a lovely idea to go and get someone on loan, go and get a body, but they’ve got to be good enough, and the reality is, there’s not many players of the calibre who clubs around Europe are willing to let go at this point.

“It’s still possible something could happen if, like, a market opportunity opens up.”

Liverpool have previously been warned that failure to dip into the transfer market in January means risking derailing their season.

However, European football expert Andy Brassell told talkSPORT.com that the club have already made a mistake in not signing Manu Kone.

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Kone to Liverpool transfer

The 24-year-old was earmarked as Liverpool’s ideal alternative to Jude Bellingham in 2023 ahead of Jurgen Klopp‘s midfield rebuild.

In fact, Tony Cascarino even claimed that a transfer for the then-Borussia Monchengladbach ace was all but a done deal.

Liverpool instead signed Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, and Wataru Endo as Kone joined Roma a year later.

“Of course, he was linked with Liverpool before when he was still at Borussia Mönchengladbach, and a lot of people seemed to think it was a done deal at a certain point,” Brassell revealed to talkSPORT.

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“He had a few choices when he left Mönchengladbach, going back to the summer of 2024.

“Given that the first half of his first season at Roma was an absolute bin fire in between [Daniele] De Rossi getting fired, Ivan Juric coming in, and that being a total mess, and eventually [Claudio] Ranieri bringing some sort of calm to it, the fact that he stood out as a player of quality and a real character in that season was notable.

“He made it work because he’s such a mentally strong player. He’s so versatile, he’s incredibly athletic, and he will run all day.

“Funnily enough, a little bit like Michael Olise when he came into the French team, Manu Kone notably for the last Nations League campaign, which he was excellent in by the way, again when things were still a bit dicey at Roma.

“There’s this sense of it’s only when he got in the team that you’re realising, ‘Oh actually, maybe France were missing this kind of guy.’

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“Now, N’Golo Kante been out of the picture for a bit, Adrian Rabiot’s been moved to a few clubs, and he’s getting older.

“He’s a different player to either of those [Kante and Rabiot], and he’s played in a slightly more advanced role for Roma recently.

“Not out and out attacking, but a bit more box to box rather than just defensive. He’s so good at driving a team up the pitch. He’s a good dribbler. He wants to be involved; he makes lots of tackles.”

Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini admitted earlier this season that if Kone scored more, he probably would not be playing for the club.

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How can Roma keep him? He is ‘that good’

“Really, if you’re a Roma fan, you want him to be a cornerstone of your team for the next 8-10 years,” Brassell continued.

“But the reality is, Roma’s financial situation is not incredible. Really, what does that mean?

“That means that if he goes to the World Cup and plays as well as he has been for France on many occasions, and if he plays as well as he has been consistently for Roma, how can they keep him?

“So I think that is the pertinent question. They bought him for a touch over €20m. If he has a good World Cup, they can triple that.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that because he is that good. That would be really tough for Roma.”

Liverpool transfer mistake

Kone, who has scored two goals with one assist in 29 appearances, will have another chance to move to England this summer.

And Trans Europe Express co-host Brassell wouldn’t rule Liverpool out of reigniting their interest in him, having missed out the first time.

“I think he would have been a massive hit for Liverpool,” he added to talkSPORT.com. “Obviously, they might have used him in a particular way, but we’ve seen how Arne Slot has got other players in to adapt.

“Then again, it does seem as if they’ve missed that bit of pep in midfield this season, that bit of bite, really, which is what Manu Kone is all about.

“If you’re asking, would he have been a good signing for them for £20-25 million, it’s a no-brainer, really.

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Liverpool to reignite interest in Kone

“He just adapted to Serie A and adapted to propping the team up as if it had been there forever.

“The sort of shift and the sort of effort and the sort of commitment and sort of, deep in your head when all else around you are losing theirs, you would expect from a player who’s eight to ten years older than him, with a lot more experience in that league and in that club.

“He would have been a massive success for Liverpool.

“I wouldn’t rule out Liverpool coming back for him. We know there’s a lot of people in the building who like him.

“Ultimately, if you want to step up, you need the best players, don’t you? That’s clearly an area in which Liverpool needs help.”

Listen to the latest episode of talkSPORT’s Inside Liverpool show on YouTube.