Liverpool only added Federico Chiesa from Juventus in the first summer that Arne Slot was at the helm.
But a year on, sporting director Richard Hughes will surely be considerably busier in the market. There have been two clear emerging needs this season which will need to be addressed. At left-back and number nine, it should be possible to improve on the current options in the Liverpool starting XI. Alongside that, finding some suitable cover for Ryan Gravenberch, to take the burden off the Dutchman, should be a major priority.
And that is all before exits are considered. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have both been linked with moves away in recent times, while Newcastle has shown an interest in Jarell Quansah. Trent Alexander-Arnold might be heading to Real Madrid and there is no concrete update yet on what might happen to Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah.
For the first time in a while, even though Liverpool is edging closer to confirming the Premier League title, there are lots of questions about its roster that will need to be answered. There could, for once, be a substantial amount of upheaval.
At the back, Alexander-Arnold will need to be replaced if he does leave, as is anticipated. Jeremie Frimpong, who has a $43 million (£34 million) release clause, is one option but there are not many that fit the bill perfectly, and there is Conor Bradley to consider too.
Signing Frimpong would completely change the way that Slot’s right-back plays, though you could reasonably argue that finding anyone remotely close to Alexander-Arnold stylistically would be impossible anyway. Frimpong might be the best full-back available, even if he isn’t particularly an obvious fit in the existing Liverpool system.
(Image: Sebastian Widmann/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images)
Elsewhere, $58 million (£45 million)-rated Milos Kerkez is an option under consideration. Liverpool is not alone in taking a look at the Hungarian, however, and he will not come cheaply. Six years younger than Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, who has returned to the gossip columns this week, the Bournemouth ace is a much likelier target.
On both sides of the defense, while the players who are deployed there most often next season might change and the way they interpret the roles could drastically alter, it will still be a back four. Further forward is where it gets more interesting in terms of the team set-up.
At center-back, losing Van Dijk doesn’t bear thinking about — though in the event that he doesn’t agree on an extension, simply signing the best defender possible will become the aim. The issue is that none who are realistically available are as good as him, before even getting to their price tag.
In attacking areas, much will depend on Salah’s future. Right now, the Liverpool system funnels the ball to him as frequently as possible and he is the player around which the rest fit. Without him, his 32 goals so far this season would somehow need to be replaced — most likely via a new number nine, given no other winger in world soccer can match Salah’s output.
Learn more
In any case, bringing in someone to help the Egyptian should be a priority. Alexander Isak has admirers — why wouldn’t he? — while Julian Alvarez is a good stylistic fit. Both, though they would be undeniable game-changers at center forward, would cost a fortune, likely in excess of the $141 million (£111 million) put on the table for then-Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo in 2023.
Isak is being spoken about as a $194 million (£150 million) player, though Newcastle is insistent that no price tag has been placed on the Swede, who it doesn’t want to sell.
Without the creativity of Alexander-Arnold, there will need to be a shift of playmaking emphasis. Perhaps a number 10 could be acquired, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz a dream option. Someone like him would offer greater numbers in the final third which could offset the likely diminished returns coming from full-back. Dominik Szoboszlai might then have to drop back into a deeper role.
Across the field, though, it is likeliest that Liverpool is more stable in terms of how it sets up. The basis, essentially a 4-3-3 system, will remain the same, though the creative load, without Alexander-Arnold, will have to be shared. Slot has proven to be an adept problem solver so far in his Anfield tenure and this summer, he might have the chance to show that again.
