There are a host of reasons behind Liverpool’s faltering title defence that sees them beginning the second half of the Premier League season in fourth place, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Last summer was one of transition for the club, as they spent big in the transfer market, with the likes of Florian Wirtz and the injured Alexander Isak yet to serve up the kind of performances that their nine-figure transfer fees demand.
But perhaps the most striking difference from last season is the club’s performance in defence, with the centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate struggling to replicate last season’s levels on which their title success was built on.
Liverpool linked with centre-back
With the January transfer window now open, Arne Slot and company will have the chance to address this issue, with their efforts to bring in a new face reportedly taking them to Belgium.
Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez has been scouted by the club, with a report from Bolavip at the end of December claiming that Liverpool were leading the chase for the 21-year-old Ecuador international after Chelsea cooled their interest.
This was backed up by a further report from Diario Expreso claiming that Reds managing director Michael Edwards had agreed terms with the Belgian side over a move to Anfield, only for Het Laatste Nieuws to retort that a January exit is ‘completely out of question’.
Amid these conflicting reports, Ordonez’s first coach, Luis Medina, has weighed in the possibility of his former charge making the switch to the Premier League champions.
“Joel was a quiet, very thin, reserved boy,” he told ESPN Deportes. “He was actually a striker, and now he might go to Liverpool [rumoured] as a defender. There are things God does that we just can’t understand.”
Medina also gave some insight into what kind of player Liverpool have been scouting, adding that: "I felt that I could be a great defender, because he was strong in one-on-one, he was well placed, he won duels. He scored well without even having the bases of a defender.
"He was a good striker, but he was better at defending."
Ordonez first coach Luis Medina, retells how Joel became a defender ( in Brazil, in a match vs Benfica):“It was the best surprise of my life,” he recalls. “Something told me he could become a great center-back. He was strong in one-on-ones, positioned himself well, won duels.… pic.twitter.com/Z2LnykJeCtJanuary 3, 2026
Ordonez, who made his senior Ecuador debut in 2024 and has 14 caps to date, moved to Europe with Club Burgge in 2022 and put pen to paper on a new deal in September 2025, with his contract with the Belgian side set to run until 2029. Transfermarkt value Ordonez at €28 million, with Inter Milan also linked with the former Club NXT star.
In FourFourTwo’s view, the conflicting reports in Belgium cast doubt on whether Liverpool are set to move this month for the promising centre-back, but his profile does fit the kind of player that the Reds should be targeting as they look to add reinforcements at the back.
And this is certainly an area that Liverpool need to prioritise, not least because of their defensive frailties this term, given that Van Dijk will turn 35 this summer and that Konate is in the final months of his Anfield deal.
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