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Arne Slot says Giovanni Leoni's season-ending injury won't force Liverpool to revisit their interest in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi in January. Leoni, a £26million signing from Parma , suffered a serious knee injury on his Liverpool debut against Southampton , leaving Slot short of options at the back. The Reds missed out on a £35million deal for Palace skipper Guehi on transfer deadline day after the Eagles were unable to recruit a replacement. And with the England defender's contract up next summer, the Premier League champions are expected to move when he becomes a free agent. Asked if the anterior cruciate ligament tear for Leoni changes the thinking internally, Slot said: "That all depends on whether we get more injuries, yes or no, and if there's a chance in the market - all the answers I always give. "But I would not prefer to go to 24/25 players. Also, if it is ever a situation where I lead a team that has four or five injuries throughout the whole season, it might be a bit smarter to go to 24/25, but recent history showed that [we have a good record] until now. "We don't have five or six injuries at the same time throughout the whole season, if that would be the situation then we would end up with 15/16 players and that would normally be difficult. "So it's a choice I like to make but I think it is also a financial choice that we as a club have to make. If we want to keep these top players, we cannot have 24/25 of them. "I know a lot is being said about our squad but if people would start to look at it in the way they should, you'd say we've got 20/21 players where some other teams we are in competition with are on 24/25/26. "But that's the choice we make because I believe that every player needs to have perspective of development or playing time. If I have to disappoint four or five players, I believe that is not the right energy that you want to have in the building. "On the other hand, that means if you get one injury, you don't have two replacements anymore, so you don't have two players for every position anymore. That's then the risk you take but that's also why we try to bring in versatile players like Florian Wirtz who can play left, can play as a 10, can play as an eight; Dominik Szoboszlai can play every position, I think. "That is the way we do it and it is also why we can maybe spend a bit more on one player instead of bringing three in, and that is maybe the difference between the clubs." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
