Liverpool fans had been waiting for one big defensive signing all summer and when the name of Marc Guehi appeared on the table, it felt like the answer to many prayers. For months, the Reds had worked quietly and carefully behind the scenes, negotiating with Crystal Palace and making plans for how to strengthen the back line ahead of another season that promised drama, battles, and the heavy responsibility of defending a Premier League title. The dream was alive, the talks advanced, and the fee agreed at £35 million. Supporters were already imagining Guehi standing beside Virgil van Dijk at Anfield, commanding the defence and wearing the famous red shirt. But just when everything seemed set, just when the deal was supposed to be signed and sealed, the move collapsed in the final hours of the transfer window. Liverpool’s deadline day joy suddenly turned into deep frustration and disbelief.
Marc Guehi, the Crystal Palace captain, was a man Liverpool believed would bring calm, composure, and leadership to a backline that still depends heavily on Van Dijk. Jurgen Klopp, even after adding Giovanni Leoni from Parma earlier in the window, felt more cover was needed. Injuries and fatigue have haunted Liverpool defenders in recent seasons. From Van Dijk’s ACL nightmare in 2020 to repeated muscle problems for Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, the club knew that to fight on all fronts, especially with the Champions League returning, extra defensive steel was required. Guehi ticked every box: young but experienced, strong in duels, quick across the ground, and already a full England international.
For days, negotiations advanced with confidence. Palace and Liverpool sat at the table, numbers were exchanged, and the £35 million figure was eventually accepted. The expectation grew that Guehi would complete a medical, hold the shirt, and walk into Anfield as the new Red before the window closed. Liverpool fans followed every update on social media, refreshing pages, searching for hints that the deal was done. Then the unexpected happened. Crystal Palace, unable to secure their own replacement before the clock struck midnight on deadline day, pulled the plug. The move was over. Guehi would not be leaving Selhurst Park, at least not this summer.
The disappointment cut deep because Liverpool had invested energy and time chasing him. It was not just about missing a signing; it was about missing an opportunity to secure the defence for years to come. Guehi’s contract with Palace runs out next summer, meaning he could become available for free, but that was little comfort for a club preparing for the battles of today, not tomorrow. The thought of what might have been lingered across Merseyside. Anfield had been ready to welcome him, but instead he will remain a rival, not an ally, at least for now.
With Guehi gone, Klopp and his staff must now turn to what is left of the market. Not the glamour of multimillion-pound signings, but the often-overlooked world of free agents. It is here that Liverpool could find unexpected solutions. Two names have already appeared at the centre of the conversation: Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kurt Zouma. Both carry experience, both bring their own qualities, and both are waiting for the right club to take a chance on them.
Tomiyasu is a player many in England know well. Once a reliable option at Arsenal, his career stalled badly after injuries struck. Last season he played only once for the Gunners before a serious knee problem forced surgery in February. Since then he has been in recovery, fighting his way back to full fitness. Arsenal, searching for stability and needing space in their squad, decided to release him this summer. For some, this marked the end of his time at the top. For others, including Liverpool, it could represent an opportunity. Tomiyasu is versatile, capable of playing as a centre-back or a full-back, comfortable on the ball and intelligent in his positioning. If his body holds up, he could become a hidden gem, a signing that costs nothing but provides depth in crucial moments.
Then there is Kurt Zouma, another name well known in English football. From his Chelsea days to his time at West Ham, Zouma has always been regarded as a strong, commanding presence. Last season, he spent time on loan in Saudi Arabia with Al-Orobah, making 20 appearances, but his Premier League story seemed to have ended when he last played in May of the previous year. Now without a club after leaving West Ham, Zouma is searching for a new challenge. His experience, especially in the high-pressure world of English football, could be invaluable for a Liverpool side that needs not just talent but battle-hardened bodies to rotate in a long season.
These are the kinds of names Liverpool must now weigh. Free agents come with risks—fitness issues, questions over motivation, or simply the reason why no other club has picked them up. But they also offer flexibility. With the season already underway and no transfer fees required, free signings can walk through the door at any moment. If Klopp and his staff truly believe the squad is one injury away from crisis at centre-back, this market cannot be ignored.
Liverpool, of course, still have strong options. Virgil van Dijk remains the leader, the captain, and the symbol of calm authority. Ibrahima Konate, when fit, is athletic and powerful, a defender who can dominate in one-on-one battles. Joe Gomez, though inconsistent, brings versatility, able to cover across the backline. And now Giovanni Leoni, the 20-year-old arrival from Parma, is learning the ropes of English football. These four may be enough for some clubs, but Liverpool are not some clubs. They are a team expected to fight for the biggest prizes, to play fifty or sixty games a season, to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and whoever else stands in their way. In that context, four senior defenders do not always feel like enough.
The Guehi collapse has highlighted just how delicate transfers can be. One moment a player is packing bags for a medical, the next he is staying at home because his current club cannot afford to let him go. For Liverpool, it is a reminder that patience and persistence are sometimes forced upon you. The Reds may return for Guehi next summer when his contract situation makes things easier, but the question is what happens between now and then. Can Van Dijk, Konate, Gomez, and Leoni carry the load? Can the younger defenders from the academy step up if called upon? Can the free agent market deliver a surprise?
Tomiyasu and Zouma may not be the glamorous names fans dreamed of, but football history is full of signings made in desperation that turned into legends. Think of players who arrived as cover and ended up as cornerstones. Liverpool know this as well as anyone. The road ahead may be uncertain, but Anfield thrives on turning uncertainty into opportunity.
For now, the story is one of disappointment. Guehi, the man who was supposed to walk into Anfield as the final summer signing, will stay at Crystal Palace. The Reds, busy all window with ins and outs, must adjust and plan differently. Supporters will debate, journalists will speculate, and rival fans will laugh. But inside the club, the focus will already be shifting to solutions. Because in football, you cannot stay sad for long. The next game, the next challenge, the next battle always arrives quickly. And Liverpool, with or without Guehi, must be ready.
The sound of this collapse will echo for weeks. But in a way, it may also spark a different kind of determination. Players like Van Dijk and Konate know the responsibility they now carry. Leoni knows his chances will come faster than expected. Klopp knows he may have to turn young defenders into warriors sooner than planned. And perhaps, just perhaps, the free agent market holds a twist yet to come.
Anfield will continue to dream, because dreaming is part of its soul. Today it is Guehi who got away, tomorrow it may be Tomiyasu or Zouma who arrive, or maybe even Guehi himself when the next window opens. What matters most is that the club adapts, survives, and keeps fighting. Because the story of Liverpool is never about one signing alone. It is about resilience, belief, and the refusal to be stopped by setbacks.
And so the curtain falls on this summer’s pursuit of Marc Guehi. What could have been a triumphant ending to the window became a last-minute heartbreak. Yet in the chaos of football, heartbreak often plants the seed of future glory. Liverpool missed out today, but their fight is far from over. Tomorrow the battle begins again.
