Quiet Deadline Day for Reds

Last updated : 18 February 2023 By Adam Bryant

Transfer Deadline Day is the time for action. It's when clubs who have something to challenge for, whether that be glory at the top of the table or survival at the bottom, are able to bolster their squads for the second half of the season.

I’d have liked to have thought of Liverpool as the former. The Premier League title isn’t totally lost yet - a win against Chelsea tonight could turn things around - but, more importantly, Champions League qualification is needed badly. Three weeks ago I would have said that we didn’t need to worry about finishing top four but, after defeats to Swansea, Southampton and Wolves, it is quite possible we could drop down that Premier League table like a lead balloon.

There have been two obvious reasons for Liverpool’s dip in form since December - the first is the lack of fitness to be able to play Jurgen Klopp’s gegenpressing style when a fixture congestion dictates two or three games a week. The second is the lack of depth in the squad. Losing Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson to injury then Sadio Mané to the African Cup of Nations left us clearly short of the sort of quality we need to be able to dominate games, score for fun and pick up wins week in week out.

Unfortunately the Sky Sports presenter stood at the gates of Melwood won’t have a lot to do other than avoid the hand gestures of kids behind him as this evening draws to a close. Klopp has insisted he doesn’t want to bring in anybody at this point in the season, so we should expect for a four-month limp to the finishing line while watching over our shoulders at clubs with higher ambitions in the hope we can at least finish in the top four and earn a place in next season’s Champions League. Maybe then the wallet will come out…