Liverpool has won just one of its last four games in all competitions, exiting the Champions League and losing the Carabao Cup final, but emerging victorious in the Merseyside derby.
As a result, with the Premier League title nearing confirmation thanks to Arne Slot’s side having an 11-point lead at the top, the attention for many people has turned to the summer and what promises to be a busy period for Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes. It is understandable.
For the first time in a long time, it appears inevitable that Liverpool will have plenty of work to do. Even if Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have their contracts extended, positions like left-back and number nine seem obvious in their need to be upgraded.
Amid all the focus on what Liverpool needs to do, however, the bigger picture should not be forgotten. While it is strange that the Reds might have such an overhaul at the same time as being Premier League champion, the rest of the league is playing catch-up.
Manchester City, as Pep Guardiola’s side proved in a dire Manchester derby stalemate last weekend, has a lot of work to do. The January signing of Omar Marmoush, in particular, has made a big difference, but there remains a lot of improvement required.
Guardiola’s team lacks legs in midfield, it remains to be seen how quickly Rodri will return to his best, and there are question marks over a number of expensive additions including Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku. Erling Haaland might have been put on a hefty long-term deal, tying him down for the majority of the next decade, but that is almost the only certainty.
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It is a big summer for Liverpool, but assuming that it is only Trent Alexander-Arnold who is lost at Anfield, it will be an even bigger one for Manchester City. Guardiola’s side is currently 21 points behind.
Arsenal is a team in need of some adjustments too. Mikel Arteta has already promised that this next transfer window will be a “big” one for the Gunners, with considerably more attacking firepower required.
Bukayo Saka is an elite talent but he has played too much and suffered with injuries. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are simply not good enough number nine options and Gabriel Martinelli doesn’t have the required output down the left flank.
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Having spent big on defenders and Declan Rice in recent years, Arsenal’s attack is in need of some stardust, and that won’t come cheap. Alexander Isak would be the dream addition (for many clubs, not just Arsenal), but that looks like an increasingly difficult, expensive and ultimately unlikely capture given Newcastle’s desperation to keep hold of the Swede.
As for the rest of the chasing pack, Chelsea will spend big again — it always does — but is not likely to be a title threat. Newcastle, meanwhile, might need a couple more years of establishing itself as a Champions League outfit before it takes the next step and competes for the Premier League trophy.
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It will take something even more special for the likes of Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth to remain where they are while balancing potential European commitments, while Manchester United and Spurs are in no position to even contemplate pushing Liverpool. A top half finish this season seems unlikely for the pair as things stand.
It is going to need to be a big summer for Liverpool and expecting four or five quality signings would not be unfair. Taking a quick scan around the Reds’ rivals, though, and the fuller picture soon becomes clear.
Guardiola and Arteta, Slot’s most likely challengers, also have a lot of improving to do. As long as Liverpool gets more right than wrong in the next few months — and it normally does — it will have the chance to not only win the Premier League at the first time of asking under Slot, but really cement itself as the favorite to retain its crown in 2025/26.
