Liverpool have addressed an obvious problem in defence with the arrival of Ronald Araujo.
Good news for Reds supporters. However, it was evident in their pre-season game against Monaco last weekend that there are still questions to answer in the squad before the new Premier League season begins.
Liverpool have just one pre-season game left, against Como at Anfield on Sunday, before they travel to Newcastle United for their opening league game on 23 August. The loss to Monaco exposed a lack of depth that could become a problem once the campaign begins.
Loan signing Araujo can play at centre-back or right-back and provides much-needed experience, so at least there is some relief in defence for the Reds. But Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni are still injured, and Jeremy Jacquet has yet to make his debut following his £60m move from Rennes.
Jacquet is expected to return to full training soon and could feature against Como, and Liverpool will have either Araujo or Jacquet to partner Virgil van Dijk at Newcastle if their other centre-backs remain unavailable.
But is it a good idea to dance so closely to the edge of the cliff? Jacquet and Leoni have zero Premier League experience between them – neither those Araujo for that matter – and out of Liverpool’s five senior defenders, two are coming back from long term injuries and another one is injury prone.
Alex on target 🎯 pic.twitter.com/PT6AYrLxyz
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 9, 2026
If defence can even be ignored, Liverpool still have weaknesses in attack. They have yet to replace Mohamed Salah, whose drop off last season was a big part of their painful crash from the highs of the Premier League championship.
They are continuing to pursue Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola but the French club are understood to be strict about a £145m fee. Victor Munoz has showed pace and direct running and Rio Ngumoha is a talent, but there neither of them is comfortable on the right wing.
Liverpool need more players, and unavoidably another attacking option. It will only become more urgent the closer they get to the end of the transfer window.
