The Telegraph points out that Joe Gomez's injury in the match against Sunderland has left the team's defense short-handed. Jaquey and Leone are future reserves for the team's defense, but Leone has not fully recovered from his severe cruciate ligament injury last year. Jaquey was previously out for five months with a serious shoulder injury and still needs time to adapt to the rhythm of the game. The optimal solution is to sign Stones.

This was Iraola's debut as Liverpool manager. In the 7th minute of the match against Sunderland, Gomez, the most experienced player in the squad, went down injured. After team doctor Jonathan Powell and physiotherapy director Chris Morgan examined him, Gomez was immediately substituted.

Although Gomez was able to walk off the pitch slowly, Iraola was worried after the game, and his concerns were not unfounded. New signing Jérémy Jaquey, signed from Rennes for £60 million, has not yet completed team training and missed his Nashville debut. He is likely to return for the match against Leeds United in Chicago next week.

19-year-old Italian youngster Leone suffered a severe knee injury last September and has only just resumed light jogging on the grass. He has not yet participated in full first-team training, and Iraola cannot estimate a timetable for the center-back's return.

Only Van Dijk remains available in the squad, and he will return to Merseyside this week to resume training. The team considered Van Dijk's travel fatigue from the World Cup this summer and therefore arranged for him to undergo rehabilitation training at home to avoid another long-haul flight.

Liverpool's primary target in the transfer market is still to strengthen the right wing, and the team is pursuing Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain; however, the club now urgently needs a versatile defender who can play both as a center-back and a full-back. Whether they can successfully sign one remains unknown.

Gomez will undergo a comprehensive examination at Liverpool's Chicago training base in the next 24 hours. Iraola stated that his injury might be more serious than just missing the matches against Wrexham in New York on Wednesday and Leeds United next weekend.

"The worst news is Gomez's injury," Iraola said after the game. "No one was injured in full team training before, and we were very optimistic, but unfortunately, we immediately lost Gomez. As for Jérémy, we plan to gradually arrange his recovery."

"Jérémy has been away from the field for five months and has been training well, but we won't rush him onto the pitch. He is likely to play in the last match of the US tour and get some playing time. Everything was going well, but now we've lost a key player."

Iraola added on the club's official website: "We had good possession for many periods, but the intensity of the game was lacking, and the players' rhythm was not yet adjusted. The team still has a lot of room for improvement, but this game is a good starting point."

Liverpool should sign Stones.

While not a defensive crisis, Gomez's injury exacerbates Liverpool's defensive personnel problems, highlighting vulnerabilities in the backline. The team must avoid a situation where they have no defenders available.

Jaquey and Leone are future reserves for the team's defense, but Leone has not yet fully recovered from his severe cruciate ligament injury last year; Jaquey was previously out for five months with a serious shoulder injury and still needs time to adapt to the rhythm of the game.

In fact, Liverpool has an optimal solution right in front of them – Stones. Many of Liverpool's most valuable signings in club history have been free agents. Stones not only has extensive experience in major competitions and numerous accolades but also possesses outstanding professionalism and personal character. While it's true that he has frequently suffered injuries throughout his career, signing him would be a huge boost to the team. Given that Arsenal, Chelsea, Juventus, and Bayern Munich are all interested in acquiring him, how can Liverpool miss this opportunity?

The salary budget is a key factor, but the team does not need to sign him to a seven-year long-term contract.

Van Dijk has only one year left on his contract, and Jaquey and Leone can grow and develop alongside him. If Stones joins, the two young center-backs will receive comprehensive guidance.

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