Liverpool's Defensive Rebuild: Andoni Iraola Targets Fikayo Tomori
Andoni Iraola has not been in the Liverpool job long, but his transfer priorities are already taking shape – and they point straight at the heart of his defence.
The new manager has overseen a bold, expensive start to the summer. Centre-half Jeremy Jacquet has arrived from Rennes and winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna, the pair costing just under £95m between them. It is a statement of intent, but also a necessity after a brutal reset of the squad’s old guard.
Ibrahima Konate and Andrew Robertson have both walked away on free transfers. Mohamed Salah’s deal has been cut short a year early. Experience has drained out of the dressing room in a matter of weeks, and with it a chunk of the aura that once made Anfield feel untouchable.
Iraola knows exactly what he has stepped into. The former Bournemouth coach called the Liverpool job “a different challenge” when he spoke to reporters on Thursday, stressing that expectations have gone up, not just for the team but for him personally.
“I want to think now I am better than I was last year, one more year of experience in the Premier League,” he said. “Now it’s a different challenge, expectations are higher, and it’s a challenge for me as a coach to adapt tactically to new scenarios.
“Now we have the first steps; the tour is going well, I am happy, but we still need to see senior players integrate, and that has been quite progressive. We are in a good direction.”
The tour in the United States has offered encouragement, but it has not dulled the sense that something is missing. The squad looks lighter at the back, lighter in leadership, lighter in hardened know‑how. Pre-season rhythm is one thing; a Premier League winter is another.
So Iraola has turned his eyes to Italy.
Liverpool move for Tomori as defensive rebuild sharpens
According to TuttoJuve, Liverpool have made initial contact with AC Milan over Fikayo Tomori, who has entered the final 12 months of his contract at San Siro. It is an early move, exploratory rather than aggressive, but it underlines where the new manager believes his side still needs steel.
One of the club’s main priorities, the report claims, is to reinforce central defence with an experienced, reliable presence. Tomori fits that description. He is 28, battle-tested in Serie A and Europe, and has lived inside the pressure cooker of both Chelsea and Milan.
Liverpool’s interest is at a preliminary stage. The England international’s name sits firmly on their shortlist, but any talk of a bid depends on the numbers. Before anything else, the club need clarity on what Milan would demand for a player who, for now, remains firmly in their hands.
Milan, for their part, still hold what is described as “full control of the situation”. If they cannot agree a new deal with Tomori, they may be forced to consider a sale rather than risk losing him for nothing next summer. At this point, though, they are not thought to be in any rush to part with a 6ft 1in defender who has become a cornerstone of their back line.
Tomori’s story since leaving Chelsea five years ago has been one of steady elevation. At Milan he has amassed 214 appearances, anchoring a side that has reclaimed the Serie A title and lifted the Supercoppa Italiana. Those are not the numbers of a squad player; they are the record of a defender trusted to start, to lead, to absorb the weight of a giant club.
Juventus have also been linked, a reminder that Tomori’s profile in Italy is high and his market strong. Any move for him would be a test of Liverpool’s resolve and of Milan’s willingness to cash in on a mainstay.
The intrigue, from a Liverpool perspective, lies not only in whether they can land him, but in what comes next if they do.
Would Tomori walk straight into the XI alongside Virgil van Dijk, forming a new-look senior partnership at the back? Or would Iraola lean into the promise of Jacquet, the versatility of Joe Gomez, and the eventual return to fitness of Giovanni Leoni to create a more fluid rotation?
For a club used to certainty under Jürgen Klopp, this is a different kind of summer. New manager, new voices, new pillars to be found. If Tomori does step through the Shankly Gates, he will not just be another signing. He will be a marker of how Iraola intends to rebuild Liverpool’s backbone – and how quickly he wants that rebuild to take hold.
