Liverpool’s injury concerns deepened after centre-back Ibrahima Konaté was substituted during the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, leaving Arne Slot with another selection headache as the Reds search for answers.The French defender’s early exit, described by Slot as the player feeling his “quad a little bit” and noticeably limping, raises fresh doubts over Liverpool’s defensive depth at a time when the squad is already thin in central defense.Konaté’s withdrawal came in the second half of a galling Stamford Bridge loss, a game decided by a stoppage-time winner that compounded a run of narrow reversals for Liverpool.Arne Slot took a cautious approach with KonateSlot revealed he took Konaté off because “all alarm bells go off” when a player limps after a sprint, stressing the danger of allowing a minor niggle to turn into a more serious problem if the player had carried on.Slot said, as reported by Liverpool Echo: “I don’t know if it is a big injury, but what I do know is he limped a little bit and when I asked him he said he felt his quad a little bit.“Then, for me, all alarm bells go off because in another sprint you never know if that is going to go good.“It was also already a substitution I had in mind, maybe for a few minutes or a little bit later, because the right centre-back had a lot of ball possession and we needed to create from that position.“We all know Ryan [Gravenberch] is quite good in that.“It might be OK that he went off early enough but it was clear I had to take him off because he was limping.”More Stories / Latest News‘I had to take him off’ – Arne Slot on why he decided to take off Liverpool star vs ChelseaOct 5 2025, 9:45Arne Slot knows the reason why Liverpool lost against Chelsea at Stamford BridgeOct 5 2025, 9:02Gary Neville names Liverpool star who looked like a ‘baby’ in defeat against ChelseaOct 5 2025, 7:38Liverpool have struggled defensively this seasonIbrahima Konate of Liverpool (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)The timing of the scare is particularly awkward. Liverpool were already missing key personnel, the club travelled to west London without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson, while the centre-back group has been weakened by other absences.Slot attempted to temper the reaction by noting the substitution had been one he was already considering, partly for tactical reasons, but he also admitted the visible limp made the decision clearer.While Slot’s careful substitution may yet prove prudent if the issue is minor, Liverpool’s depleted centre-back options mean the club cannot afford a prolonged absence.Gary Neville names Liverpool star who looked like a ‘baby’ in defeat against Chelsea The post ‘I had to take him off’ – Arne Slot on why he decided to take off Liverpool star vs Chelsea appeared first on CaughtOffside.