Liverpool's Defensive Dilemma: Tomori on the Radar
Liverpool’s first pre-season under Andoni Iraola was never likely to drift by quietly. It hasn’t.
A public clash between Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai has stirred talk of unrest and accelerated rumours over Jones’ future, while Joe Gomez’s injury has ripped a hole straight through the heart of Liverpool’s defensive plans. For all the tactical tweaks and fresh ideas Iraola wants to bring, he now faces the blunt reality of numbers: he is short of centre-backs.
Gomez, 29, is expected to be sidelined beyond the start of the season. His absence leaves Liverpool with just three senior central defenders, and two of those – Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni – have never started a Premier League match. Talent, yes. Experience, no. Not yet.
With the new campaign only weeks away, that is a risk Liverpool simply cannot carry. So the search has accelerated, and one name has moved to the front of the queue: Fikayo Tomori.
Liverpool turn to Tomori
While the noise around Anfield has largely centred on Bradley Barcola and what he might add further forward, the recruitment team have quietly opened another front. According to TuttoJuve, relayed by Sport Witness, Liverpool have now made contact with AC Milan over a move for Tomori.
The situation is clear. Tomori has just one year left on his current deal at San Siro and has slipped out of favour under Ruben Amorim. That combination usually points in one direction in modern football: a sale. With his contract running down, the England international is expected to be available for a relatively modest fee in this window.
Liverpool, sensing opportunity as much as necessity, are understood to be weighing up turning that initial contact into a formal bid. The need is obvious. With Gomez out for the opening stretch of the Premier League season, Iraola requires a defender who can step straight into the intensity of English football and cope.
Tomori knows that world. He came through at Chelsea, learned the league the hard way, and rebuilt his reputation at Milan. A return to the Premier League, this time as a more complete defender, now lies on the table.
A pivotal call for club and player
For Liverpool, Tomori would not be a luxury signing. He would plug a glaring gap. His arrival would ease the pressure on Jacquet and Leoni, allowing their development to be managed rather than forced. It would also give Iraola a defender with European experience and the athletic profile to suit a high-energy, front-foot style.
For Tomori, the timing is intriguing. Having already turned down Coventry City, he has held out for a move that matches his ambitions. If Liverpool follow through and put an offer to Milan, that patience could be rewarded in the grandest way: a return to England, straight into a title-chasing environment, with the chance to anchor a new era at Anfield.
Pre-season has already thrown up tension, injuries and awkward questions for Iraola. The next one is simple enough: will Liverpool move decisively for Tomori before the season starts, or risk walking into August one defender short?
