Liverpool's Defensive Rebuild: The Future After Konaté

Liverpool’s next big rebuild will not be in attack. It will be at the heart of their defence, and it is arriving fast.

Konaté running down the clock

Ibrahima Konaté is edging towards the exit door at Anfield. The France international is running his contract down on Merseyside and looks set to walk away as a free agent, leaving a sizeable hole in the middle of Liverpool’s back line.

At 26, he should be entering his prime years as a centre-half. Instead, Liverpool are bracing for life without him.

Virgil van Dijk will still be there next season, but only just. The captain has 12 months left on his deal and turns 35 in July. His authority remains, his presence still shapes games, yet the club know they are staring at the end of an era. A long-term successor to a Premier League and Champions League winner cannot be wished into existence. He has to be found.

Heavy spending up front, questions at the back

Liverpool did their big spending in 2025. They smashed British transfer records to refresh the attack, throwing huge money at Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez arrived to energise the full-back positions.

The front of the team was rebuilt. The flanks were addressed. The centre of defence was not.

Now, with 2026 looming and the defensive unit creaking, the focus is shifting. Recruitment teams have already drawn up lists, many of them populated by players currently starring for Premier League rivals.

Murillo, the exciting Brazilian at Nottingham Forest, has been catching the eye with his blend of composure and aggression, forcing his way onto several shortlists. Micky van de Ven, all power and pace at Tottenham, is another name being mentioned as a possible target, even if Spurs manage to drag themselves clear of relegation trouble.

These are not speculative profiles. They are the type of ready-made defenders Liverpool may have to move for.

Johnson: Liverpool can’t wait on potential

For former Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson, the brief is clear: proven quality, preferably with Premier League miles already on the clock.

Speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of BetMGM, Johnson said: “Possibly. I think it's important with Premier League experience in whatever position they're trying to improve in, because it's not just improving the position, they need to compete with whoever's going to be the league winners.

“It's not as easy as getting someone with that experience, they just need to be good enough. But I definitely feel proven, they haven't got the time to buy a 20-year-old that could be the best player, best centre-back in five years' time or six years' time, they need to start competing now.

“So those two look like the obvious if you had to pick out of the Premier League, but if they're good enough to step up to that level to compete for titles, given the chance, we'll never know.”

The message is blunt. Liverpool are not in a position to gamble on what a defender might become in half a decade. They need one who can step in and anchor a title challenge immediately.

Not one centre-back – two

Johnson goes further. Replacing Konaté alone will not be enough.

“They probably need two, but going against what I said just now, one that can step in now that's good enough to compete, and then one that can potentially replace them in three or four years.

“They haven't really done that in the past, but that would be a sensible option for me. That doesn't prove that it works, but they need a centre-half now, and they're going to need to replace another one in a couple of years.”

It is a two-track plan: one defender for the present, one for the future. A short-term pillar to play alongside Van Dijk, and a longer-term project who can grow into the role as the captain eventually steps away.

Historically, Liverpool have tended to fix the immediate problem and worry about succession later. This time, with Konaté leaving and Van Dijk edging towards the twilight of his career, that approach looks dangerously optimistic.

Slot under strain as Anfield grows restless

All of this unfolds against a backdrop of tension. A year after delivering the Premier League title to Anfield, Arne Slot is feeling the heat.

The 1-1 draw with Chelsea told its own story. The performance stuttered, the atmosphere soured, and boos rolled down from the stands once again. Liverpool are clinging to fourth place, their grip on a Champions League spot more anxious than assured.

Qualification for Europe’s elite competition remains on the cards, but the mood is not celebratory. It is wary, impatient. Talk of change in the dugout has already surfaced, with more reconstruction work looming over a squad that has fallen well short of expectations in 2025-26.

Liverpool have already rebuilt the attack. The next phase is unavoidable. Who picks the centre-backs that define the post-Van Dijk era – and whether that person is still Slot – may shape the club’s direction for years.