Arne Slot has confirmed Liverpool missed out on signing Lutsharel Geertruida before the January transfer window closed, admitting he wanted to strengthen his squad.
However, the Reds boss insists he feels no frustration and is focused on securing Champions League qualification with the current group.
Injuries to Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez and Jeremie Frimpong, along with Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending ACL setback, left Liverpool short defensively.
The club explored a late move for Lutsharel Geertruida – Slot’s former captain at Feyenoord – but a deal for the Netherlands international, currently on loan at Sunderland from RB Leipzig, proved impossible so late in the window.
Liverpool did, however, agree a £60m deal with Rennes for 20-year-old defender Jeremy Jacquet on Monday, beating off competition from Chelsea.
While pleased with the signing, who will arrive on July 1, Slot admitted he had hoped for reinforcements for the remainder of a season that sees Liverpool sitting sixth ahead of Manchester City’s visit this weekend.
“I think I’ve said that we’ve tried to strengthen the squad, so that probably tells you [I wanted players] and I don’t think I was the only one who wanted that,” Slot said. “But it’s always about availability and the right player.
“We do have discussions about what is good for the short and for the long term of the club and now, for example, Jeremy Jacquet wasn’t available for the winter, but he was for the summer.
“We’ve made a decision to sign him because we think he’s a really good signing for the future of this club. I’m very happy with the squad. Let that be clear. But it’s all clear and obvious, that we have three long-term injuries (Bradley, Leoni, Alexander Isak).
“That’s why we’ve tried to strengthen the squad in winter break and the player you mentioned (Geertruida), in the end, wasn’t available. But we’ve tried to strengthen the squad – that is clear.
“And that tells you that we think that it would have helped us. But it should be possible that we’re not gonna sign players that are not good enough to play for this club.”
Slot added: “I have always worked the same. I always want the best for the club. Of course sometimes there is interest from an individual, could be a player or manager.
“But I always want the best for the club even if in the short term it is not ideal for me. I am not saying it is but if it means this, I would always go for the signing that is best for the club. I knew which club I went into, this club has a model of signing talented players younger.
“I have always liked to work in that way. I am also the head coach and not the manager, I prefer this because the amount of work you have to do as a head coach is so much, I wonder how people could have done those two jobs.
“I don’t have time to watch 10 live games of a new player coming in and if I do, I cannot have time to do my job as a head coach as I am doing now.”
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