The Gerrard verdict that will resonate with every Liverpool supporter

Steven Gerrard has never been one to mince his words when it comes to this football club, and he is not about to start now. Speaking on TNT Sports, the former captain has called on Liverpool to sign a specialist defensive midfielder before the transfer window slams shut on Tuesday night, and frankly, it is difficult to argue with him.

"I think this team has missed a destroyer, someone who holds the middle of the pitch, who is a massive part of the spine since the team moved Fabinho on," Gerrard said. "I think that position's been sorely missed, I don't think they've got a specialist in that position." Those are not the words of someone stirring up drama for television. That is a football man identifying a structural problem that supporters have been pointing at for quite some time.

What Liverpool are actually chasing before the deadline

The difficulty is that Liverpool's recruitment focus heading into deadline day appears to be pointing firmly in a different direction. The club are in advanced discussions over a £123m move for Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, with the winger set to undergo a medical this weekend. Alongside that, Liverpool have made enquiries about Real Madrid's Endrick and Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr, while two bids for Brighton's Yankuba Minteh, at £50m and then £60m, were both knocked back.

That is a lot of energy directed at wide options, with the No.6 role Gerrard is championing seemingly absent from the conversation. Manager Andoni Iraola acknowledged the uncertainty swirling around the squad when asked about the Barcola situation after Saturday's 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest. "I cannot tell you anything right now but it is true that there are things going on and that is normal," Iraola said. "We are in the last weeks of the market and now we have to wait to see the squad that we will have on September 2, and this is who we are." Careful words from a manager keeping his cards close, but there was no mention of a midfielder.

Two draws in, and the questions are already stacking up

Gerrard acknowledged that Iraola might have a different vision for how the team is built, and that is a fair caveat. But the results so far are not exactly shutting down the debate. A 2-2 draw at Newcastle on the opening weekend was followed by another 2-2 at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Two matches, two draws, four points dropped. Last season ended in a fifth-place finish that fell well short of expectations, and the same defensive frailties through the middle appear to have followed the club into this campaign.

"There's one area that hasn't really had much focus," Gerrard said. "Only really in the last week since the Newcastle game. I believe they need a specialist in the No. 6 position, that's my opinion. The manager might have different ideas in terms of how he wants the team to look and his philosophy. But I think this team has missed a destroyer." That last line will land hard with supporters who have watched the midfield spine look exposed week after week.

Tuesday's deadline and what comes after

The window closes at 11pm on Tuesday, and Liverpool's attention will then shift to a trip to newly promoted Ipswich Town on Friday, 4 September, a fixture where Barcola could make his debut if the deal is concluded as expected. The squad Iraola works with from September 2 onwards is the squad that will define the direction of this season.

Whether the club move for a midfield destroyer in the final hours of the window remains to be seen. But if they do not, Gerrard's words will be ringing in plenty of ears come October.