‘It could blow up in their face’ – Carragher sounds alarm on Liverpool’s failure to land Ivory Coast-born Marc Guehi

Jamie Carragher has warned Liverpool that their inability to land Marc Guehi in the summer transfer window may return to haunt them later in the season.

The former Reds defender said the club’s failure to strengthen at centre-back by completing a £35 million deal for the Crystal Palace star has left them exposed in a crucial area of the squad.

Guehi, who was born in Abidjan to Ivorian parents before representing England at senior level, had been identified as Liverpool’s top target on deadline day.

The 25-year-old is now in the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park but his move collapsed at the last moment when Palace boss Oliver Glasner reportedly threatened to quit if the England international was sold without a replacement.

“Might they (Liverpool) regret that (missing out on Guehi)? Listen, they are three games in, nine points from nine and probably not played that well, so we would probably all say they are big favourites, Liverpool,” Carragher told The Overlap Podcast.

“But that is the one area (defence) where that could come back and blow up in their face because they haven’t really got that (cover).”

Carragher added: “What Guehi was getting was giving Liverpool competition at centre-back. They haven’t really got that. They’ve got two starters and two understudies.

“Joe Gomez, injury-prone himself, and the young lad from Italy (Giovanni Leoni), he is going to be a great prospect, but if you think if one of them had to play for a couple of months, it is a big difference.”

Liverpool are now expected to wait until next summer to sign Guehi on a free transfer. Palace, meanwhile, may regret rejecting the £35 million bid that could have allowed them to secure a replacement before the window closed.