Would Guehi still be a smart signing for Liverpool?

The Reds came close to acquiring the Englishman over the summer, but their needs have since drastically changed.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

The day after Marc Guehi and Crystal Palace have cruised to a 3-0 win at Anfield is perhaps not the best time to suggest that Liverpool would be unwise to retain an interest in the defender.

On Wednesday evening, Guehi won five out of six ground duels and posted five interceptions and nine recoveries as he and his teammates gave up just one shot on target en route to a clean sheet and victory.

Surely the Reds, whose defence was breached for the 13th occasion in 15 games this season as they were knocked out of the League Cup, could do with adding a player of such quality to their backline?

But the problems Liverpool have faced this term are ones that they clearly did not envisage prior to putting Guehi through a medical only for a deadline-day summer move to collapse.

And these issues are so profound that you wonder whether, despite a transfer having previously come so close, it would be smart to revisit it in January or next summer.

For all his many strengths, it was not a shock to see Guehi lose the sole aerial duel he contested in this fourth-round League Cup victory.

This season, the Englishman has won 67.5% of his battles in the air, placing him in the 77th percentile (top 23%) for that statistic among Premier League defenders.

Clearly, that is hardly disastrous, but the fact is he would be arriving at Liverpool at a point at which they appear to be playing a different sport to many of their rivals makes it a concern.

That is because there is every chance he would exacerbate the issues the Reds have grappled with during a poor start to their title defence.

So far this season, Liverpool have faced 239 launched passes (longer than 40 yards), the most in the division by some distance.