Liverpool's Defensive Alarm: Iraola Seeks Experienced Centre-Back
Andoni Iraola has not needed long on Merseyside to identify his first major problem. Liverpool are light at centre-back – worryingly light – and the new head coach has told the club’s hierarchy he wants that fixed before the season starts.
A disrupted pre-season has stripped the issue bare. In the friendly win over Sunderland, Iraola lost Joe Gomez inside the opening 10 minutes and had to turn to 18-year-olds Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe to see the game out. For a club with Liverpool’s ambitions, that felt less like an opportunity for youth and more like a warning flare.
Virgil van Dijk, the captain and defensive reference point, remains on an extended post-World Cup break. Summer signings Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni are still working back from injury. Between the absences and the inexperience, Liverpool have found themselves with a glaring lack of senior cover at the heart of their defence.
Iraola has responded by making centre-back a priority position. The recruitment team, already sketching out long-term plans, have accelerated their work and begun to home in on several targets.
Stones heads the list
At the top of that list sits John Stones.
The England international is a rare commodity this summer: a 32-year-old defender with elite pedigree, fresh from an outstanding World Cup under Thomas Tuchel, and now a free agent after leaving Manchester City. That combination has drawn interest from across Europe, the Premier League, Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League.
Liverpool, though, have a crucial factor in their favour. Stones is open to a move to Anfield. He is also speaking with Arsenal and Chelsea as he weighs up the next step of his career, but the prospect of stepping into a central role in Iraola’s rebuild has genuine appeal.
For Liverpool, the attraction is obvious. Stones brings experience, composure on the ball, and the versatility to slot into different defensive structures – exactly the type of profile that can stabilise a back line while younger options develop around him.
Konsa’s versatility draws admiration
Ezri Konsa has emerged as another serious candidate.
The Aston Villa defender is admired not just for his reliability at centre-back but also for his ability to operate at right-back when required. That flexibility resonates strongly with Iraola, who wants defenders comfortable covering space and shifting roles within his aggressive, high-intensity system.
Liverpool see Konsa as someone who could ease the load on both the central unit and the right side of defence, offering tactical options in-game and across a long season. Arsenal remain keen on the England international, but Liverpool have now entered the contest, assessing him alongside other defensive targets.
Zabarnyi back on Iraola’s radar
One name with a more personal connection to Iraola has also reappeared: Illia Zabarnyi.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender, formerly of Bournemouth, has grown frustrated by a lack of regular minutes in France. Liverpool have been made aware that a deal, while complicated, might be possible under the right circumstances.
Iraola knows the Ukraine international intimately from their time together on the south coast and remains a huge admirer of his game. Strong in duels, calm under pressure, and familiar with the demands of Iraola’s style, Zabarnyi would be a plug-and-play option if Liverpool could navigate the complexities of prising him away from PSG.
Dream targets out of reach – for now
Alongside these more realistic pursuits, Liverpool’s recruitment team continue to keep tabs on two long-standing “dream” options: Levi Colwill at Chelsea and Micky van de Ven at Tottenham Hotspur.
Both fit the ideal profile – young, left-sided or left-comfortable, quick across the ground, and already proven in the Premier League. Both would immediately elevate Liverpool’s defensive line. Yet the reality is harsh. Sources indicate neither Chelsea nor Spurs have any intention of sanctioning departures at this stage, leaving those moves firmly in the “highly unlikely” category.
The club have also stayed informed on the situations of Antonio Silva and Ousmane Diomande. Silva is expected to complete a move to Bournemouth, while Nottingham Forest are advancing in talks for Diomande. Liverpool’s interest in both stretches back some time, but for now they watch from a distance as those deals move towards other destinations.
A race against the calendar
For Iraola, the picture is clear. His system demands intensity, bravery and organisation from the back. It cannot run at full speed if the central defensive core is thin, tired or patched together with teenagers.
Liverpool’s response has been to cast the net wide: a free-agent leader in Stones, a Premier League ever-present in Konsa, a trusted former lieutenant in Zabarnyi, and a watchful eye on the next generation of elite centre-backs elsewhere.
The question now is not whether they move for a defender. It is which one they land – and whether they do it in time for Iraola’s Liverpool to hit the season at full stride rather than on the back foot.
