Andros Townsend says Liverpool missed out on a literal ‘perfect’ signing for Arne Slot

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Liverpool missed out on a signing in the summer who would have dramatically improved their fortunes this season.

The Reds lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, marking their second consecutive defeat across all competitions.

While the performances at Anfield have been far from exemplary thus far, Arne Slot has continuously found a way to get his side over the line.

However, that trend has stopped in the Reds’ last two outings as Slot has a serious problem at Liverpool, that must be addressed ahead of the Premier League clash against Chelsea.

And now ex-Premier League forward Andros Townsend believes a player who narrowly missed out on a move to Anfield this summer would have been the ideal solution.

Marc Guehi would have been perfect for Liverpool

When speaking about the defeat at RAMS Park on the Football Daily podcast, Townsend said Marc Guehi would have been the perfect signing for Liverpool.

“When a deal falls through literally on Deadline Day, you have no chance to get an alternative in. They made it no secret they wanted a centre-half. They pinpointed Guehi, who would have been perfect for the way they play.

“And when it fell through on Deadline Day, you can’t go to option B, plan C, plan D, because there’s no time left. So they’re stuck now until January.”

Guehi’s move to Liverpool collapsed on deadline day, despite a £35 million agreement between the clubs, as Crystal Palace pulled the plug in the final stages after failing to secure a suitable replacement.

Although TBR Football understands Liverpool will bid again for Guehi in the January transfer window following the season-ending injury to Giovanni Leoni, the lack of centre-back depth is a genuine concern.

The 25-year-old came back to haunt the Reds as he assisted Eddie Nketiah’s 97th-minute match-winner at Selhurst Park, which ended Slot’s perfect record across all competitions.

Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konate was bullied by Jean-Philippe Mateta during the loss, and the Frenchman continued his torrid form in the Champions League.

With Joe Gomez the only senior centre-back option who could replace Konate in the starting line-up, Liverpool could very well do with Guehi’s services, and the club are not guaranteed to secure his signature, as TBR Football understands Bayern Munich are interested in the England international.

What Oliver Glasner said about Marc Guehi before Liverpool win

As widely reported, Oliver Glasner played a key role in Crystal Palace retaining Guehi on deadline day. The boss revealed in his pre-match press conference before the win against Liverpool that the captain is fully focused on having a successful season at Selhurst Park.

“I have no concerns at all. I’m completely convinced and I mention this quite often, as long as Marc is playing for Crystal Palace, he will be playing with 100 per cent. This is what I expect tomorrow.

“I’m really convinced that he will show this again. He’s an amazing player, he’s in amazing shape. So I expect a great game from him. Of course, I had a conversation with Marc but I think you will expect it to maybe have been more or longer, it was really a very short conversation because it was easy.

“We talked before, we talked at the end of last season, we talked in off-season, we talked in the pre-season, and of course we talked after the transfer window closed but it was a five-minute conversation.

“On the other side, I’m really wondering why it’s so outstanding if you stick to an agreement, it also shows you maybe what kind of times we are living in. If you sign a contract, let’s say the normal thing is you stick to your contract, so we are praised for doing what we have to do, I think it’s more the opposite, we should blame people who don’t stick to their agreement.

“Of course he was a little bit disappointed at the beginning but he said ‘no, it’s fine, I like being here, I like the team, I like the staff, I like Crystal Palace, I’m a south London boy, it’s all good, I will give my best,’ and this is exactly what I knew would happen.”