Center-back Jarrell Quansah exited Liverpool's League Cup semifinal against Tottenham Hotspur in the 30th minute with what head coach Arne Slot later deemed was an illness. The Reds went on to lose the match 1-0.

Slot elected to replace Quansah with midfielder Wataru Endo despite having Ibrahima Konate on the bench. Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were the only other defenders on the bench for the Reds.

Any absence for Quansah would compromise an already-thin Liverpool backline. Konate only just returned from an injury and looked a step slow in his side's 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Sunday. Joe Gomez suffered a hamstring injury in Liverpool's 5-0 win over West Ham in late December that will see him miss a few more weeks.

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That would leave the 33-year-old Virgil van Dijk - in the final year of his contract with the club - as the only fully fit central defender at the club. Konate did come on a defensive substitute in the second half.

The 21-year-old Quansah joined the Liverpool academy at the age of five and left the club on loan for League One side Bristol Rovers in 2023.

16 appearances were enough for former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp to name in as Liverpool's fourth-choice central defender for the 2023-24 season.

Quansah impressed early after getting a handful of appearances in both the League Cup and Europa League, earning Klopp's trust to feature 33 times in what proved to be a breakout campaign.

He was originally in the good graces of new manager Slot, starting the club's first game of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign against Ipswich Town. However, he was yanked at halftime after a nervy 45 minutes for Ibrahima Konate and hasn't started at center-back in the Premier League since.

A Quansah injury could force John Henry and FSG to open their checkbooks and sign a center back in the winter window. The club has been recently linked to Sevilla defender Loic Bade but it's likely they would explore any and all options.

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Endo could deputize in defense on occasion if needed. The Japanese international lined up next to Quansah against Southampton in the League Cup quarterfinal.

However, moving Endo into defense would then compromise the Reds' depth in holding midfield. Liverpool will likely target another deep-lying midfield to compete with Ryan Gravenberch next summer.