The Premier League title is officially Liverpool’s. At the first time of asking, Arne Slot has achieved what only one other Reds boss has done in decades.
And he did it all with an outlay of just $16 million (£12 million) last summer, the sum of money paid to Juventus for Federico Chiesa. No other player was brought in during his and sporting director Richard Hughes’ first transfer window at the helm, with Slot buying into the patient approach.
Most Premier League clubs would tell you that transfers are the most important thing. But while Arsenal and Manchester City have spent big and either stayed the same or even regressed, Slot made a mockery of such a myth.
Of course, the Dutchman inherited an excellent roster of players to work with from Jurgen Klopp. But he deserves a vast amount of credit for developing those stars.
Ryan Gravenberch is a completely different player this season compared to last. Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz have been transformed, and Mohamed Salah has hit new levels.
Liverpool finished third under Klopp in his final campaign in charge but ran out of steam near the end. The only real blip so far under the 46-year-old was when the Reds were narrowly edged out of the Champions League by PSG and lost the Carabao Cup final to Newcastle.
(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Aside from that, Liverpool has been consistent. It could yet reach 94 points in the Premier League, and the argument that this is in some way a “weak” season across the board is nonsensical — it will have been done when the overall level of the league has never been stronger.
At the start of the season, the assumed outcome was that Manchester City would win the title, and if not Pep Guardiola’s side, then definitely Arsenal. But Liverpool has blown the pair out of the water.
Manchester City is now in third spot in the table but went into the weekend a full 18 points behind Liverpool. Arsenal, meanwhile, decided to spend big bucks on more defenders and midfielders last summer when its glaring hole was in attack.
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Guardiola has been made to pay for poor transfer planning, with his roster aging at the same time. Mikel Arteta has paid the price for not reinforcing an obvious area of the pitch that needed an upgrade.
Now, while Arsenal could yet win the Champions League, Liverpool is going to take some catching next season. With Salah and Virgil van Dijk tied down to new contracts, Slot’s men will begin the 2025-26 campaign as title favorites.
There is an obsession about transfers — and this summer will need to be a big one for Liverpool to kick on again — but Slot was patient. While Guardiola and Arteta picked the wrong moves and paid for them, he is reaping the rewards.
By August, Liverpool will have progressed from the ultimate position of strength. And one thing is for sure: it shouldn’t be underestimated again.
