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Liverpool need to put their troubles to rights this month.

You might say that Arne Slot has reached a critical juncture in his Anfield tenure, having spearheaded a nine-match unbeaten run across all competitions after losing nine of 12 beforehand.

However, the mood is still sour, with Reds supporters discontented by the Premier League champions’ absence of identity and colour in their playing style.

It can’t go on like this, so FSG may want to make a change or two in the January transfer window, with persistent defensive struggles calling for a centre-back to ease the burden on Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Liverpool plan to sign defender in 2026

It’s clear that Liverpool need more depth across a range of areas, even after spending a record-breaking £450m on new recruits during the summer transfer window.

Long-term planning has already been advanced, with a deal agreed for Austrian teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who is considered one of the brightest young defensive prospects in the world.

But Ndukwe is not going to be ready for the big time for quite a while yet. Liverpool, with Van Dijk ageing and Konate unconvincing, need instant relief.

Well, according to BBC transfer reporter Sami Mokbel, Liverpool have been issued a sobering reality check in their long-standing bid to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, with Manchester City now ready to strike this month after injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.

Liverpool have what is described as a strong interest, but they would prefer to land the 25-year-old on a free transfer at the end of the year.

Guehi has emerged as one of the best defenders in the Premier League over the past several years, and it’s felt that Eagles chairman Steve Parish will be looking to get as close to £35m as possible if he is to leave mid-season.

Why Liverpool have to sign Marc Guehi

Guehi is a proven Premier League star who was extensively profiled last summer. He would have signed for the Anfield side save for Palace pulling the plug at the eleventh hour on deadline day after failing to find a sufficient replacement.

The England international is “a monster in defence”, as has been claimed by Palace correspondent Bobby Manzi, but he’s also a crisp and enterprising on-the-ball defender, having created four big chances in the league this season, averaging a key pass every two matches, as per Sofascore.

Should Liverpool get this one over the line, Guehi has the potential to dynamise and synergise Liverpool’s entire team, potentially reviving one of Liverpool’s most sunken stars in Alexis Mac Allister, who is a pale shadow of his one-time self at the moment.

Mac Allister has been immense, an influential leader, over the past two-and-a-half years at Anfield, leading Liverpool through a trophy-laden period.

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But he’s been horribly out of sorts this year. One Reds-focused content creator has even gone as far as to say that the 27-year-old “looks like Fabinho in his final year”, having “physically fallen off a cliff”.

To be sure, the Argentina international needs some external support, having deteriorated so shockingly this season.

Mac Allister’s Premier League Decline

Stats (per 90)

24/25

25/26

Goals

0.17

0.00

Assists

0.17

0.14

Touches

64.41

62.22

Pass completion (%)

83.5

84.8

Shot-creating actions

4.16

2.49

Progressive passes

6.13

4.50

Progressive carries

1.25

1.59

Successful take-ons

0.55

0.28

Recoveries

5.13

3.67

Tackles won

2.01

0.69

Interceptions

0.76

0.62

Aerials won

0.66

0.55

Data via FBref

In Guehi, Slot could land the kind of confident and progressive centre-half to not only rekindle Liverpool’s defensive verve but settle the wider equilibrium, providing more stability for the midfielders ahead of them while supplementing them on the ball.

After all, the Eagles centre-back is “really calm on the ball”, says former Three Lions goalkeeper Joe Hart, while maintaining an ambitious sense of creativity that hasn’t been channelled securely on Merseyside this season.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair

Glasgow Rangers are back in action once again at Ibrox this evening as they prepare to welcome St Mirren in the last Scottish Premiership match of 2025.

The Light Blues beat Motherwell 1-0 last time out at Ibrox, thanks to a goal from Thelo Aasgaard, and they will be looking to end the year with back-to-back wins in front of their own supporters.

Danny Rohl could make several changes to his starting line-up with the short break between the two matches, and one player who should be dropped is Youssef Chermiti.

Why Rangers should drop Youssef Chermiti

It seems to be a recurring theme that the Portuguese centre-forward is given a chance to start as the main number nine for Rangers, and then he puts in a performance that could see him dropped from the side.

The £8m summer signing from Everton scored a consolation goal off the bench in the 2-1 defeat to Hearts earlier this month, which earned him a start against Motherwell last time out.

Chermiti played the opening 77 minutes of the clash with Motherwell on Saturday, per Sofascore, and failed to score from any of his six efforts, which included one ‘big chance’, and did not create a single chance for his teammates.

The former Premier League striker has only scored one goal in his last 12 appearances in all competitions for club and country, per Sofascore, and he is yet to score a goal as a starter, with both of his goals for the Gers so far coming as a substitute.

Bojan Miovski, meanwhile, has scored three goals in his last four appearances, starting three of those games, and could offer more of a threat in the final third this evening.

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Chermiti is not the only Rangers flop who should be ruthlessly dropped from the starting line-up for this clash with St Mirren, though, as there is another dud who must be taken out of the side.

The Rangers flop who must be dropped by Rohl

Mohamed Diomande, Nicolas Raskin, and Connor Barron started in midfield against Motherwell with the latter two at the base of the midfield and the Ivorian talent in the number ten position.

Rohl must ruthlessly ditch Diomande from the starting line-up, alongside Chermiti, because he produced another fairly underwhelming display in the middle of the park for the Gers.

The left-footed dud, who was given a 5/10 player rating by GlasgowWorld, failed to register any shots on target and did not create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates during his time on the pitch, per Sofascore, which shows that he had little impact at the top end of the pitch.

Scottish writer Michael McEwan went as far as to say that the central midfielder is “offering nothing” to Rangers as he “continually gives the ball away”.

Unfortunately, Diomande offering little to the team has become a theme in the Premiership for the Light Blues this season, as he has struggled in and out of possession in the middle of the park.

25/26 Premiership

Mohamed Diomande

Appearances

15

Goals

1

Minutes per goal

826

Key passes per game

0.7

Big chances created

1

Assists

1

Ground duel success rate

46%

Aerial duel success rate

31%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old flop is rarely contributing at the top end of the pitch and has been a liability out of possession, losing the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air.

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These statistics illustrate why Diomande should not be a regular starter for Rangers on current form, because he is not doing enough on or off the ball to justify his inclusion in the XI.

Mikey Moore, meanwhile, has scored two goals in his last five appearances in the Scottish Premiership for the Light Blues, per Sofascore, and could offer more of a threat in the final third.

Rohl could play Thelo Aasgaard off the left, Moore centrally, and Djeidi Gassama on the right from the start, whilst giving them all the freedom to interchange positions, as they are all versatile players who can play in different roles.

This could improve the fluidity and the potency of the team’s attack, given Moore’s recent form, and that is why Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Diomande from the XI in favour of the 18-year-old attacking midfielder.

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Posts ByDan Emery