Liverpool's Transfer Window: Key Absentees and Future Expectations

Liverpool’s transfer window ended with more questions than answers, but the most important reinforcements this season might already be on the books.

No right-sided winger. No new central midfielder. No extra right-back. The squad is set, yet it feels anything but secure, with gaps all over the pitch and a schedule that will not slow down for anyone.

There was a late push to fix at least one of those problems. Liverpool sounded out a loan for Chelsea’s Malo Gusto, a player who can operate both at right-back and in more advanced areas. Chelsea, though, were in no mood to deal on the cheap, and the move went nowhere. The chance passed, the window shut, and Liverpool were left to look inward rather than outward.

So the club waits. Not for a free agent or a surprise arrival, but for bodies to return and the treatment room to finally empty a little. On that front, there is at least a shaft of light.

According to The Times, Liverpool expect Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley all to feature for a “chunk” of the season. Given how long each of them has been sidelined, that word carries weight.

Injuries and Expected Returns

Ekitike is actually the most recent casualty of the three, yet his lay-off still stretches back to April. Bradley has been missing since the turn of the year. Leoni has been out since last September, almost a full year written off.

These aren’t knocks or minor strains. All three have dealt with serious problems, the kind that blur timelines and turn return dates into guesswork. No one inside or outside the club can say with certainty what level they will hit when they finally pull on the shirt again. Their first minutes back might be more about rebuilding trust in their bodies than transforming Liverpool’s season on the spot.

That is why the suggestion that each could still play a meaningful slice of this campaign matters. A “chunk” implies more than a token appearance here and there. It hints at a month or more of involvement, possibly longer if one or two of them respond well and stay fit.

Leoni appears closest to the comeback trail and should soon be back in contention, though Liverpool will not rush him after such a long absence. Ekitike looks likely to be a slower burn, with his return expected closer to Christmas, but the expectation remains that he will still have a say in 2026.

Bradley is the great unknown. Updates on his condition have been scarce, and there is still no clear public picture of the full extent of his injury or when he might realistically be ready. The club’s attempt to bring in a right-back hardly screamed confidence in his short-term availability.

Yet The Times’ line that Bradley, too, could play a genuine part in the campaign changes the mood. For a squad that ended the window short in key areas, the idea of three long-term absentees stepping back into the frame is more than just a medical bulletin. It could be the difference between hanging on and truly competing when the season reaches its sharp end.