Liverpool’s Defensive Recruitment Under Iraola: Key Targets
Liverpool’s new era under Andoni Iraola has barely begun, but one thing is already clear: he does not trust the depth of his defence.
The Spaniard has pushed centre-back recruitment to the top of Liverpool’s agenda after a disrupted start to pre-season stripped back the illusion of security at the back. What looked like a well-stocked department on paper has, in practice, been held together by teenagers and treatment tables.
Iraola’s early warning
The alarm sounded in a seemingly routine friendly against Sunderland. Joe Gomez lasted less than 10 minutes before coming off, and suddenly Liverpool’s back line was being marshalled by 18-year-olds Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
They saw out a win, but the message to the hierarchy was brutal: without Virgil van Dijk, without fit senior reinforcements, Liverpool are one injury away from a defensive crisis.
Van Dijk is still on an extended post-World Cup break. Summer signings Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni are working their way back from injury. For a coach who builds his teams on structure, aggression and clarity, Iraola has been left with uncertainty in the one area he can least afford it.
So Liverpool have moved. Quiet concern has turned into active work on reinforcements.
Stones headlines an ambitious shortlist
At the top of the list sits John Stones, now a free agent after leaving Manchester City. For a club that has long prized value in the market, the 32-year-old is an obvious, and alluring, target.
Stones comes with pedigree and recent proof. Under Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup, he reminded everyone why he has spent a decade at the elite level, knitting together defence and midfield with the same calm that once made him central to Pep Guardiola’s plans. That tournament has helped ignite interest across Europe, the Premier League, MLS and the Saudi Pro League.
Liverpool are firmly in that conversation. Stones is open to discussing a move to Anfield, but he is also talking to Arsenal and Chelsea as he weighs up what might be the final major move of his career. For Liverpool, his availability on a free transfer offers experience, leadership and technical quality without a transfer fee – but also invites a bidding war in wages and promises.
Konsa’s versatility appeals
Ezri Konsa has emerged as another serious option. The Aston Villa defender is admired not just for his consistency at centre-back but for his ability to slide across to right-back when required.
That detail matters. Iraola wants flexibility from his back line – players who can step into wide areas, defend space, and still hold the line when Liverpool push high. Konsa ticks those boxes, and his tactical intelligence under Unai Emery has not gone unnoticed at Anfield.
Arsenal remain keen on Konsa, yet Liverpool have now entered the frame, assessing him alongside other targets as they look for a defender who can strengthen the present and adapt to the manager’s ideas.
A familiar face: Zabarnyi on the radar
Liverpool have also been alerted to the possible availability of Paris Saint-Germain defender Illia Zabarnyi, formerly of Bournemouth.
The Ukraine international has grown frustrated with a lack of regular minutes in France, and that situation has not gone unnoticed by his old boss. Iraola knows him intimately from their time together on the south coast and remains a staunch admirer of his game: composed on the ball, aggressive without it, and comfortable defending large spaces.
Any deal for Zabarnyi would be complicated, but if PSG’s stance softens, Iraola would welcome the chance to reunite with a player who already understands his demands.
Dream targets out of reach – for now
Behind those more realistic options sit two long-standing dream names on Liverpool’s board: Levi Colwill at Chelsea and Micky van de Ven at Tottenham Hotspur.
Both fit the ideal profile – young, left-sided, quick, and already proven in the Premier League. Both would walk straight into most starting XIs in Europe. And both are, for now, effectively off the market. Chelsea and Spurs have no intention of sanctioning their departures, and sources close to the situation describe any move at this stage as highly unlikely.
Liverpool are watching, but they know they cannot build a summer plan around hope.
Keeping tabs on Silva and Diomande
The club’s recruitment team have also stayed informed on two other long-admired centre-backs: Antonio Silva and Ousmane Diomande.
Silva is expected to complete a move to Bournemouth, while Nottingham Forest are advancing talks for Diomande. Neither looks destined for Anfield, but Liverpool have continued to receive updates, a reflection of the long-term scouting and planning that has kept those names in their database for years.
A decision that will shape Iraola’s start
For all the names and moving parts, the situation is simple. Liverpool’s new head coach has seen enough in a few disrupted weeks to know he cannot go into the season with this level of risk at the heart of his defence.
Whether it is Stones’ experience, Konsa’s versatility, a reunion with Zabarnyi, or a late twist elsewhere, Liverpool must now decide how bold they are prepared to be to give Iraola the platform he needs.
The clock is ticking, the fixtures are coming, and the first major signing of the Iraola era looks increasingly likely to wear a centre-back’s number.
