FSG forced into EMERGENCY Liverpool decision

Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) might be forced into making an unplanned call.

Arne Slot's future as head coach has been firmly under the spotlight over the last two months, with just four wins coming from 11 games across October and November, including Sunday afternoon's 2-0 win over West Ham which ended a three-game goal-scoring drought. It's really perplexing form.

It was put quite eloquently by Sam Wallace in The Telegraph who said in his latest piece: "There are some universal rules that football cannot ignore - and chief amongst those is that in a slump like this, it is the manager who pays the price." If anyone is going to pay the price for the players' poor form, it's unlikely to be the players. It's imperative that Slot finds a way for the team to begin to progress.

However, before the Dutchman's job comes under threat, it's plausible that FSG could re-think one of their prior judgement calls, in an attempt to get the Reds back on track, without a managerial change.

Might spending in January be possible?

In a report on Antoine Semenyo in The Times, journalist Paul Joyce gave us a fascinating insight.

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He wrote: "Liverpool have also [alongside Manchester City] been linked with the 25-year-old - their sporting director, Richard Hughes, signed him for Bournemouth when he worked at the south-coast club - although they had now planned to enter the winter transfer window after spending more than £400m on new signings in the summer."

The latter claim fits with the murmurings we've heard about Liverpool's transfer stance up until now, with plans for Marc Guehi's arrival been earmarked for the summer when the Englishman becomes a free agent, rather than deciding to bolster the Reds' defensive ranks for a limited transfer fee.

Financially, that call makes a lot of sense, in spite of Giovanni Leoni's ACL tear, which is going to keep him out for the remainder of the season. Standing strong on that front is understandable.

However, it's the decision from Joyce to write about Liverpool's transfer intention in the past tense, which is particularly fascinating here, suggesting that a change of heart might actually be possible.

Spending money in January would certainly be an emergency decision from FSG, because the team should've been more than prepared for the season after the £400m was spent. World class talents were signed, and their skill sets should've helped Liverpool to deliver better performances and results than we've seen so far this season. It's truly baffling how much unrealised quality we've got.

But the ambiguity in the latest report means that a move for Semenyo, or anyone else for that matter, hasn't necessarily been ruled out. We might see FSG re-think their initial plan and spend once again.

Ideally, the defence would be prioritised, with links to Nico Schlotterbeck, Dayot Upamecano and others having been published over the last few months, but the plans are likely still being formalised.

For now, nothing can be said with certainty, but watch out. January spending has not been ruled out.