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Arne Slot saw Giovanni Leoni sustain a serious knee injury in Liverpool’s win over Southampton (Image: James Gill – Danehouse\/Getty Images)<\/p>\nArne Slot on his plans for Liverpool’s centre-back department after the ACL injury to Giovanni Leoni on Tuesday night<\/p>\n
22:30, 26 Sep 2025Updated 22:40, 26 Sep 2025<\/p>\n
Arne Slot saw Giovanni Leoni sustain a serious knee injury in Liverpool’s win over Southampton (Image: James Gill – Danehouse\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Arne Slot says Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury won’t force Liverpool to revisit their interest in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi in January. The Reds missed out on a \u00a335m deal for the England international on transfer deadline day<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Eagles were unable to recruit a replacement and with Guehi’s contract up next summer, the Premier League<\/a> champions are expected to move when he becomes a free agent.<\/p>\n Asked if the anterior cruciate ligament tear for Leoni<\/a>, sustained in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup win over Southampton<\/a> changes the thinking internally, Slot<\/a> said: “That all depends on whether we get more injuries, yes or no, and if there’s a chance in the market – all the answers I always give.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Arne Slot explains how Liverpool ‘disciplined’ Hugo Ekitike and confirms Federico Chiesa decision<\/a>READ MORE: Liverpool suffer crushing injury blow in Premier League title race as Arsenal watch on<\/a><\/p>\n “But I would not prefer to go to 24\/25 players. Also, if it is ever a situation where I lead a team that has four or five injuries throughout the whole season, it might be a bit smarter to go to 24\/25, but recent history showed that [we have a good record] until now.<\/p>\n “We don’t have five or six injuries at the same time throughout the whole season, if that would be the situation then we would end up with 15\/16 players and that would normally be difficult.<\/p>\n “So it’s a choice I like to make but I think it is also a financial choice that we as a club have to make. If we want to keep these top players, we cannot have 24\/25 of them.<\/p>\n “It’s also a choice we make. I know a lot is being said about our squad but if people would start to look at it in the way they should, you’d say we’ve got 20\/21 players where some other teams we are in competition with are on 24\/25\/26.<\/p>\n “But that’s the choice we make because I believe that every player needs to have perspective of development or playing time.<\/p>\n “If I have to disappoint four or five players, I believe that is not the right energy that you want to have in the building.<\/p>\n “On the other hand, that means if you get one injury, you don’t have two replacements anymore, so you don’t have two players for every position anymore.<\/p>\n “That’s then the risk you take but that’s also why we try to bring in versatile players like Florian Wirtz<\/a> who can play left, can play as a 10, can play as an eight; Dominik Szoboszlai<\/a> can play every position, I think.<\/p>\n “That is the way we do it and it is also why we can maybe spend a bit more on one player instead of bringing three in, and that is maybe the difference between the clubs.”<\/p>\n