Liverpool boss Arne Slot reveals 'terrible' Giovanni Leoni injury time frame and makes new Marc Guehi claim

Giovanni Leoni injury update as Liverpool prepare to face Crystal Palace.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has given an update on Giovanni Leoni’s cruel injury.

Giovanni Leoni of Liverpool receives medical treatment to an injury before being substituted off during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield on September 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images

placeholder image — Giovanni Leoni of Liverpool receives medical treatment to an injury before being substituted off during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield on September 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The centre-back suffered ACL damage on his Reds debut earlier this week. After signing from Parma for £26 million in the summer transfer window, Leoni made his bow in the 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton. He delivered an impressive performance before suffering a knee problem making a tackle in the closing stages.

Leoni required a stretcher to leave the pitch. And Slot, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Crystal Palace, admitted that Leoni will be unavailable for around a year. As a result, Federico Chiesa has now been added to the Reds’ squad for the Champions League in place of Leoni.

Slot said: “The last thing is true (about Chiesa’s inclusion in the Champions League). The first part, he is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and will be around a year.

“Being so young coming to a new country, playing so well in your first game, it is very hard to take the positives. There is never a positive side but you always try to and he is so young so has so many years to recover from a terrible injury like that.”

Leoni’s injury leaves Liverpool with just three recognised centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez. The Reds tried to sign Marc Guehi in the summer transfer window and agreed a £35 million with Crystal Palace but had the pull plugged in the final hours of transfer deadline day.

Slot would not be drawn on whether he laments not signing Guehi after Leoni’s setback. The Anfield chief added: “I don’t think one day before we play them to talk about that again. He is a Crystal Palace player and has been very important for them as long as he’s there. We have to prepare for Crystal Palace, who are a very good team. A difficult team to beat but we are a difficult team to beat, as we have shown when we have played because we have beat them once and twice it was a draw.

“We have more than enough options to replace in the centre-back position because we have Joe, Virgil and Ibou and other options if needed.”