James Pearce has confirmed that Liverpool will not look to dip into the transfer window to bolster the forward line amidst the absences of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
The pair in question could be away from Jurgen Klopp’s squad for the entire month of January, dependent on how far their respective nations progress in the competition.
“Barring a late change of heart, Liverpool won’t be adding to their forward options during the January transfer window,” the renowned reporter wrote for The Athletic alongside John Muller.
“In the absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane due to the Africa Cup of Nations, Jurgen Klopp is relying on Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Takumi Minamino to step up and deliver.
“Divock Origi’s comeback from injury should also help ease the goal burden before the cavalry return from Cameroon.”
The Reds appeared to struggle somewhat without key men for the goalless stalemate in the Carabao Cup semi-final with Arsenal, which drew concerns around the Premier League outfit’s attacking options.
A tweak to the starting lineup for the Brentford victory evidently paid dividends, which would suggest that we are capable of surviving the January period without our star forwards.
Ultimately, the main concern with bringing in new signings in the middle of the season to cover such absences will be handling such acquisitions once the likes of Salah and Mane return to the squad.
Certainly, few would likely be prepared to fill in for a few games at risk of being replaced once the AFCON tournament comes to an end.