Liverpool's Defensive Dilemma: Chambers Interest from Celtic and Ndukwe's Loan
Liverpool’s squad feels bloated on paper, but last season proved how fragile it really was. An injury crisis ripped through the club and forced Arne Slot into constant reshuffles. Youth players were there, eager, ready. Most of them barely got a look in.
Aside from Rio Ngumoha, the academy door stayed largely shut. The mood around Anfield began to feel stuck, as if a generation of youngsters were watching their moment drift by.
Then came Andoni Iraola. Different ideas. Different energy.
The Spaniard has already leaned far more heavily on youth, with Lewis Koumas, Trey Nyoni and Isaac Mabaya all being lined up for meaningful roles this season. The message is clear: if you’re good enough, you’re close to the squad.
But one young defender could soon be heading for the exit.
Celtic’s interest changes the picture
Liverpool spent the summer reshaping their back line. Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet arrived to bolster a unit that had been painfully short on depth. That shortage was one of the reasons players like Mabaya and Luke Chambers were initially told to stay put and fight for minutes.
Now that stance is shifting.
Journalist Lewis Bower has revealed that Celtic are keen on Chambers, noting on X: “I wonder, eh. Celtic really like Luke Chambers.” The Scottish giants, Champions League winners in their own history, see potential in a player who currently sits as Liverpool’s fifth-choice centre-back.
On the surface, it’s a move involving a fringe defender. Underneath, it hints at something more important: Liverpool are preparing space.
If Chambers is being lined up for a January move, it’s not just about trimming numbers. It’s about who might be coming in behind him.
The Ndukwe dilemma
Ifeanyi Ndukwe turned heads in pre-season. Calm in possession, aggressive in the challenge, and playing with the poise of someone far more experienced, the Austrian centre-back looked like he belonged in the first-team picture despite his lack of senior minutes.
With Ibrahima Konate gone, Liverpool needed someone to step into a sizeable gap. Ndukwe briefly looked like the surprise solution.
Work permit rules said otherwise.
Unable to secure one immediately, Ndukwe was sent on loan to Levante, the plan being straightforward: play games in La Liga, collect the necessary points, return to Liverpool and slot into Iraola’s plans.
That plan has stalled. Levante have yet to give him any real game time, leaving his work permit prospects stuck in neutral. No minutes means no progress, and no progress means no return to Anfield any time soon.
A gap opening at the back
This is where Chambers comes back into focus.
If Celtic firm up their interest and take Chambers in January, Liverpool could be left light again at centre-back, especially if Ndukwe’s situation doesn’t improve before the window opens.
The club are expected to be active in winter, but there’s a clear internal preference: avoid unnecessary signings if a solution already exists in-house. In that sense, the ideal scenario is obvious. Chambers moves on, Ndukwe racks up enough minutes in Spain to secure his permit, and Iraola brings him back as part of the defensive rotation.
That would close the circle neatly and save Liverpool the scramble of dipping into the market.
Right now, though, the pieces are not quite aligned. Chambers has interest. Ndukwe has talent. What Liverpool lack is certainty.
If Levante finally trust the Austrian and give him the pitch time he needs, the pathway opens. If they don’t, and Chambers walks out to Celtic Park, Iraola could be staring at another uncomfortable hole in the heart of his defence just as the season hits its most unforgiving stretch.
