Forget Leoni: Liverpool have a homegrown Guehi in 18-year-old "Rolls-Royce"
On transfer deadline day, Liverpool celebrated the record-breaking acquisition of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, ending weeks of speculation and animosity over his future.
Isak had been desperate to sign for the Anfield side, and he has got his wish at the final hour. Liverpool have got themselves a gem, with pundit Alan Shearer remarking earlier in 2025, “Everything about his game is of the highest quality.”
However, it didn’t all go the Reds’ way, with their protracted summer pursuit of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi ultimately leaving them empty-handed.
It all looked like it was ready to be green-lit, with the Three Lions star having completed his medical with the Premier League champions, but external issues have left the 25-year-old stranded at Selhurst Park.
Why Liverpool wanted Marc Guehi
With Ibrahima Konate having entered the final year of his contract at Liverpool and skipper Virgil van Dijk having turned 34 in July, thus edging closer to the twilight of his career, it was crucial that fresh defensive faces were welcomed.
And sporting director Richard Hughes came ever-so close to making that arrival Guehi, having tracked the England international all summer and respectfully awaited the green light from Eagles chairman Steve Parish, which never quite came following Oliver Glasner frustration at having not signed a suitable replacement.
Remarked to have been “England’s best player” during the 2024 European Championship by analyst Ben Mattinson, Guehi’s cool and collected defensive presence merges with an effortless ball-playing game that suggests he would dovetail right into Slot’s Liverpool squad – or indeed any elite team worth their salt.
Though FSG will retain confidence in their rearguard options, Guehi would have added icing on the cake, especially with Slot looking to defend his Premier League title while challenging for silverware across further fronts too.
Matches (starts)
34 (34)
17 (14)
Goals
3
1
Assists
2
0
Touches*
64.9
46.9
Pass completion
84%
89%
Key passes*
0.5
0.1
Ball recoveries*
4.3
2.0
Dribbles*
0.4
0.2
Tackles + interceptions*
2.6
1.7
Clearances*
4.6
3.6
Duels (won)*
4.9 (59%)
2.5 (61%)
Errors made
2
1
Leoni is a top talent, and the hope is that he will one day stand where Van Dijk stood as a long-term star at Liverpool. However, he’s not the only teenage prospect the club boast, with an existing member of Slot’s squad perhaps ready to cover for the gap where Guehi should be.
Liverpool have already got their own Guehi
Make no mistake, Leoni is one of the most exciting defensive prospects in the business, and, only 18, has so much room for improvement over the next few years.
However, the Italy international will also need time to develop his skills over the next few years, ultimately reaching a level that will see him thrive as a regular starter.
With Joe Gomez having stayed put despite transfer interest from elsewhere on deadline day, his experience will help Leoni ease into the way of things, and the same could be said for fellow teenager Amara Nallo.
Nallo hasn’t had a flawless start to life in Slot’s senior side, it must be said. In January, Nallo was sent off on his professional debut, entering the fray in the closing stages and hacking down Johan Bakayoko. It was unfortunate, but Slot said post-game that the youngster “will learn” from his mistake.
Though that remains Nallo’s sole senior showing for Liverpool, he sat three further first-team games on the bench across the 2024/25 season, and given his obvious quality in emerging from the academy, so strong and powerful and technically adept for one of his level, he could prove to be Liverpool’s own version of Guehi.
Admittedly, getting sent off on your big bow isn’t very Guehi-like, but the Palace man received an indirect card suspension himself last season, showing that he too has the capacity to make a blunder.
And Nallo won’t let a simple mistake define him, having been described by West Ham coach Carlton Cole in the past as being a “Rolls-Royce of a centre-back”.
Curiously, Nallo is two-footed and so could conceivably cover for Van Dijk and Konate across the course of the campaign. The England U19 international has also racked up 53 appearances for Liverpool’s youth sides across the two years he has been on Merseyside.
Liverpool wanted to sign Guehi for his quality and experience at the highest level, of course, but perhaps his ability on both sides of the central defence also captured Hughes’ attention. After all, the England star was described as “one of those versatile CBs who can play both sides equally as comfortably” by the aforementioned analyst Mattinson.
While Liverpool’s failed attempt to sign Guehi will have frustrated the Reds fanbase, who came so close to seeing the defender wearing red, the likes of Leoni and Nallo will perhaps have given a silent cheer as they find themselves with a clearer pathway toward playing time over the months ahead.
Nallo might be something of a forgotten man at the moment, but he was entrusted with a first-team role on the big stage last season, and there’s every chance he could now take that next step.
In The Pipeline
Given his Guehi-like tactical tendacies, perhaps this is the big opportunity he needs to take that leap and prove himself worthy of a long-term role in Liverpool’s first team.
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