Liverpool make Jarell Quansah decision as new assistant joined in training amid defensive crisis

Liverpool do not plan to trigger Jarell Quansah’s buyback clause despite their defensive injury crisis, talkSPORT understands.

The Reds have the option to re-sign Quansah from Bayer Leverkusen for £70million - double what they sold the England international for last summer.

With Joe Gomez set to miss the start of the season and youngsters Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni also coming back from injury, new boss Andoni Iraola has admitted he is ‘light’ on defensive options.

However, other areas of the squad are currently seen as a priority with hopes high that Jacquet and Leoni can become Premier League stars.

The former became Liverpool's second-most expensive defender ever after a £60m package was agreed with Rennes earlier this year.

Liverpool's defensive crisis

Jacquet spent the second half of the season in France, but a serious shoulder injury suffered in February ended his campaign early.

The 21-year-old is still feeling ‘some discomfort’ from that issue, which has meant Liverpool's new No.5 is yet to make his debut.

Leoni, meanwhile, was touted as the long-term successor to Reds captain Virgil van Dijk following his arrival from Parma last summer.

Yet the Italian sustained an ACL injury after impressing on his debut in the Carabao Cup in September and he hasn't played since.

The 19-year-old is finally closing in on a comeback himself but will understandably be rusty due to his lack of football in the past year.

This time last year, Liverpool were in the market for a new senior centre-back but missed out on a deadline-day deal for Marc Guehi.

Jacquet has since been signed, but the Merseysiders saw Ibrahima Konate leave on a free transfer to Real Madrid in June.

Van Dijk hasn't featured under Iraola yet either, having been afforded an extended break following his recent exploits for club and country.

Despite now being 35, the Dutchman has played more minutes than any other player in Europe's top five leagues since June 2025.

Van Dijk's long-term future also remains unclear as Liverpool's highest earner, having entered the final 12 months of his contract.

Iraola's threadbare options were further thinned in his pre-season opener when Gomez was forced off in the 4-2 win over Sunderland.

His replacement in that friendly, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, has seized his opportunity to impress, but work permit issues will prevent him from featuring for Liverpool once the Premier League gets underway.

The 18-year-old was forced to play the entirety of the Reds' 4-2 defeat to Leeds due to a lack of centre-back options.

He started the match alongside Luke Chambers, who is naturally a left-back, before he was partnered by fellow teen Mor Talla Ndiaye.

Such is Iraola's lack of options for their pre-season tour that his assistant Tommy Elphick has reportedly even joined in training sessions to make up the numbers amid a severe centre-back shortage.

Liverpool's stance on Quansah return

Reacting to the reveal in Alex Crook's transfer notebook, Liverpool fan and Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony told talkSPORT's White and Jordan: "£70 million quid for Quansah - Do me a favour.

"They should have got a better buyback in place than that, you know. Ideally, he can play centre-back and right back so he would suit them right now.

"Shame they sold him for 30 [million] because he's the kind of player that they could have done with keeping last year and maybe selling Gomez if they could.

"But no, you're not paying 70 million for him - not a chance."

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