Liverpool only spent £414.5million last summer, so they obviously have to splash even more cash when the transfer window re-opens in January.

Somehow, after signing players such as Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz, the Reds are out of the title race by December. They will enter the winter window knowing they’re firmly in season-saving territory.

Spending big on players from Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Bayer Leverkusen worked so well before, we think it makes perfect sense for Liverpool to do it again at the earliest possible opportunity.

Here are four winter signings we think would make a perfect window for the stumbling champions…

 

Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth)

This is the no-brainer. This is the banker. This is the one that couldn’t fail. This is the one that’s never failed. Well, that’s what we thought about Isak, and look how that turned out.

Semenyo doesn’t have to be another Isak, nor does he have to suffer the same fate as his former Bournemouth teammate Milos Kerkez. But there will be a different kind of pressure on him to succeed, as he’d be joining on a rescue mission rather than for a colossal fee after a controversial saga.

The Ghanaian has started the season strongly, registering six goals and three assists in 13 Premier League appearances so far, and the emergence of a £65million release clause in his contract pricked the ears of the Premier League elite, particularly Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool.

It should be a matter of who caves first and triggers the release clause. There will be no negotiation with Bournemouth. It’s £65m or don’t bother. And judging by Semenyo’s performances this season, they should bother.

Semenyo would come in as someone capable of taking the load off Mohamed Salah, who might need a rest and the competition to regain his form. He’s also capable of playing anywhere across the frontline and looks like a real difference-maker. Liverpool look like they need someone capable of taking games by the scruff of the neck. He’s right here.

Transfer fee: £65m

 

Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)

Liverpool completely f**ked it in the summer when they decided to wait until deadline day to agree a fee with Crystal Palace for Marc Guehi. They gave Palace little time to replace their best and most influential player, who also happens to captain them, and when Igor Julio chose West Ham over them (bizarre decision, but an argument for another day), they had made a bigger error than anyone could have imagined.

As Ibrahima Konate has performed so poorly that he’s managed to drag Virgil van Dijk down with him, Guehi has been consistent as ever at the back for the Eagles and England. It was the biggest c*ck-up any Premier League club made in the summer and somehow outweighed all the (apparent) good Liverpool did. We didn’t know that at the time, but Liverpool would be in a better spot had Guehi joined and been available to step in for a woefully out-of-form Konate.

The Reds can right that wrong in the January transfer window, but will probably be even more reluctant to pay Palace a fee as Guehi will be in the final six months of his contract. That’s tantalisingly close to being a free transfer for Liverpool, but unlike their foreign counterparts, they’re not allowed to negotiate a pre-contract agreement from January 1. That gives Real Madrid a significant edge, and after they dropped their interest in Konate, there’s a strong chance they snap him up.

Guehi solves a lot of problems for Liverpool, and even if he’s available for nothing in the summer, they need to bite the bullet next month.

Transfer fee: £30m

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Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United)

This would boil a copious amount of p*ss if Liverpool pulled it off. There’s nothing to suggest they will, or that they’re even considering signing Guimaraes, but he’s a perfect fit and someone who can add goals, energy and passion to a midfield lacking all three.

Alexis Mac Allister looks knackered and Ryan Gravenberch has been off the boil for a couple of months, which is understandable in such a dysfunctional team. So why not bring in a £100m midfielder to solve things?

This is said slightly tongue-in-cheek, but it’s a genuine suggestion – not that Richard Hughes is reading this. Guimaraes would be bloody perfect for Liverpool. He seems very loyal and clearly loves Newcastle, but the bright lights of Anfield can make people delirious. Just ask his old buddy Isak.

A now-expired release clause in his contract suggests Guimaraes is open to stepping up to one of Europe’s elite, but the lack of a clause now makes this a difficult deal for Liverpool. There’s absolutely no chance Newcastle will be happy to see them at the negotiating table after the summer they endured.

Transfer fee: £100m

READ: Is Alexander Isak the floppiest flop in all of Premier League flopsville?

 

Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)

One aspect of Liverpool’s downfall that’s gone slightly under the radar is the absence of a certain right-back. Some Liverpool fans know him as a ‘rat’. The others, the more level-headed folk, know him as Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool really, really miss him, whether they wish to admit it or not. When Trent was there, too much of the time the focus was on what he lacked: defensive ability. Now that he’s gone, it’s all about what he brought to Liverpool going forward. Despite his obviously world-class technical ability, it’s taken him leaving for people to realise how influential he was, and just how bloody good at football he is.

Liverpool are never going to sign someone who offers what Alexander-Arnold does, but they can at least try. We reckon they should switch it up and target someone of a similar mould on the left. Not to be quirky for the sake of it, but because there isn’t really a right-back who springs to mind, except Pedro Porro, who hasn’t been very good this season.

Our man is Grimaldo, who just so happens to be Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong’s old Bayer Leverkusen teammate. He has a wand of a left foot, capable of whipping balls in and pinging diagonals, all while having the versatility to hug the touchline or step into midfield.

The combination of his build-up play and elite final product makes Grimaldo an ideal target for Arne Slot. The only issue is that he’s 30. But if he can come in for a modest fee and help Liverpool finish in the top five and maybe win a cup, he’ll be well worth it, even if he only maintains this level for another two-and-a-half years.

Transfer fee: £30m

Total spend: £225m

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