Liverpool manager Arne Slot has moved to temper expectations ahead of a crucial Premier League fixture, firmly stating the club does not possess "unlimited money" to solve a deepening defensive injury crisis.
Record Spend and a Defensive Shortfall
The Dutch coach made his comments despite the club's unprecedented summer transfer activity, which saw a record outlay of £450 million. This included breaking their transfer record twice to sign Florian Wirtz for £100m and then Alexander Isak for a British record £125m.
However, Slot was quick to contextualise this spending, highlighting that Liverpool also raised significant funds. Over £200 million was recouped from the sales of players including Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Gannon-Doak, and Caoimhin Kelleher.
Injury Crisis Ahead of Tottenham Trip
The financial reality is set against a severe shortage of defenders. For their match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 20 December 2025, Slot will travel with only two senior specialist centre-backs.
The situation has been exacerbated by the season-long ACL injury to Giovanni Leoni and a fresh setback for Joe Gomez. At times this season, Slot has also been without both senior right-backs, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, forcing midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones to deputise.
"The injury of Giovanni Leoni has quite a lot of impact," Slot admitted. "If you have four centre-backs for the season... but then you have an ACL injury, that is not very helpful."
A Philosophy of Prudent Management
Slot insisted that operating within a sustainable model, even when it leads to squad shortages, is a philosophy he believes in. He suggested funds for the January transfer window would be limited.
"The outside world wants to believe we have unlimited money but that is not true," Slot stated. "You insiders know... what we have brought in [money] to spend. That is the way we work over here. You then have to accept that in certain games during a season you are short of a right full-back. But we are still able to win. I fully believe in that way of working."
The manager concluded by acknowledging that such injury problems are a challenge faced by most teams, not just Liverpool, as they prepare for a pivotal clash in North London.
