Analysing Liverpool's Centre-Back Options After Gomez and Sakho Injuries

Liverpool were dealt a double blow this week with news that Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez are both set to miss the start of the new season with Achilles injuries.

England under-21 international Gomez, who was nearing a return after being sidelined since last October with an ACL injury, revealed that he has "an Achilles tendinopathy."

Sakho has a similar injury, as confirmed by manager Jurgen Klopp on Tuesday, and it will be three to four weeks before he can return to pre-season training, per Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph.

Both, then, won't be fit for the start of the new season, which Liverpool begin at Arsenal on 14 August.

Klopp praised centre-back Tiago Ilori after his pre-season performance at Fleetwood Town, but the Portuguese centre-back will also miss the start of the season due to his involvement in Portugal's squad for the Olympics.

With Martin Skrtel having completed his £5.5 million move to Fenerbahce and Kolo Toure having been released this summer, that leaves Klopp with only Dejan Lovren and new signing Joel Matip for the trip to the Emirates next month. Injury to either of those would leave the manager looking at Lucas Leiva to deputise at the heart of defence.

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It's far from ideal preparation for Klopp, who was keen to use pre-season to build a new defensive foundation ahead of his first full season in charge—something that would have been achievable following Sakho's final hearing from UEFA and only Nathaniel Clyne being unavailable due to international involvement this summer.

New goalkeeper Loris Karius, Lovren, Matip and left-back Alberto Moreno look set to be the main beneficiaries of a full pre-season working with Klopp and his coaching staff.

Clearly, though, the Reds must add reinforcements and cannot risk entering the new campaign with only two centre-backs.

The Experienced Solution

Goal's Melissa Reddy suggested Klopp will seek an experienced left-sided centre-back from Bundesliga in order to provide the solution.

Reddy claimed: "It is likely they will settle on a left-sided player, with the view that he will only fill in when required rather than challenge the current options at the heart of defence."

That would presumably mean the new signing would be seen as cover for Sakho on the left of defence once Sakho is back available, with Matip and Lovren as the right-sided options.

That seems like a balanced set of options but would mean Sakho needing to usurp Lovren, with the Croat set to start the campaign alongside Matip. Clearly, the opportunity is there for both Matip and Lovren to nail down their places as the first-choice centre-back pairing.

While Reddy suggested Klopp will scour Germany for a solution, one player we can rule out is Borussia Dortmund's Neven Subotic, who is close to finalising a move to Middlesbrough, where he will get more regular football.

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One player who fits the criteria of an experienced left-sided centre-back is Barcelona's unwanted Thomas Vermaelen—a player linked with a move to Anfield in April following Sakho's initial suspension, per This Is Anfield. 

Vermaelen would add Premier League experience, but whether Liverpool would be prepared to pay Barca's asking price and the Belgian's wages just for him to be a back-up seems unlikely. Would Vermaelen too be happy to arrive as a deputy?

The Long-Term Solution

A more high-profile—and costly—signing seems unlikely at this stage, but Liverpool could do worse than look to acquire a young centre-back who can offer a permanent place at the heart of their defence for years to come.

Two options from Bundesliga who stand out would be Hoffenheim's Niklas Sule and Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah. Both are physically imposing—standing at 6'5" and 6'3", respectively—and would seem ideally suited to the Premier League.

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Klopp has sought to add some mettle to the Liverpool squad, acquiring similarly imposing players such as Matip (6'4") and Marko Grujic (6'3") to the squad already. Another commanding presence such as Sule and Tah would further combat Liverpool's fragility at set pieces and provide a tonic to the plethora of technically adept players former manager Brendan Rodgers assembled.

Both these would command high transfer fees, however, and would leave four high-profile players fighting for two spots once all are fit.

The Short-Term Solution

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The simplest solution would be for Klopp to offer a short-term deal to Toure. The 35-year-old's contract expired last month, but he is without a new club so far and would no doubt jump at the chance to remain at the Reds.

A player who was well-liked at the training ground and knows the way Klopp works, he'd be well-placed to cover for the start of the campaign while Sakho and Gomez recover.

Whether that makes sense for the player himself, though, is an issue, with the Ivorian seeking first-team football before he retires.

The Double Solution

The wild-card solution that many fans may like to see would be to sign former Red Javier Mascherano from Barcelona.

Now aged 32, Mascherano would add quality, experience and a winning mentality to the Reds' squad. The idea here would be that he could fill in at centre-back if required in the short term, while also providing the solution to Liverpool's lack of a quality defensive midfielder.

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Mascherano has gone on to impress as a centre-back at the Nou Camp since leaving Anfield in 2010, but he has been linked with a move away from the Spanish giants following the signing of French international Samuel Umtiti from Lyon. Therefore, the Argentinian has been linked with Juventus, according to Reuters Sport (via Sky Sports).

Despite entering the latter years of his career, Mascherano would be a superb addition on Merseyside, able to fill either defensive role and provide a pretty good mentor for the likes of Emre Can.

If Klopp were to opt for 4-3-3 in certain fixtures, Mascherano could fill the sitting role in the three, with Can and Jordan Henderson able to play further ahead in midfield.

Mascherano can also play in a 4-2-3-1, just as he did so successfully under Rafael Benitez at Anfield alongside Xabi Alonso.

Of course, the problem here would be wages and justifying the expense for a player aged 32. It would, though, fill many holes in Klopp's squad—and be a suitable upgrade on the likely departing Lucas Leiva. The Brazilian looks set for a loan move to Turkish side Galatasaray, according to FotoMac (h/t This Is Anfield).

The Solution

Assessing the different types of options above, it seems that the most logical and efficient solution is the one that Klopp and Liverpool are seemingly pursuing, with the addition of an experienced player who is happy to be second choice this season.

With no European football on offer, any new signing would likely get little game time once Sakho and Gomez are fit. So what they need to bring is more than just on-the-pitch qualities; they need to provide off-the-pitch qualities, too, much like Toure has done in recent years.

Should an experienced but slightly younger option than Toure not be found, perhaps we shouldn't rule out an eventual return for the cult hero.