Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has suggested that the Reds could need as many as five signings in the summer to put themselves in an optimal position to retain the Premier League title.
Having succeeded Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield hotseat, Arne Slot has completed the impossible job during his maiden campaign in charge by delivering the top flight crown. Written off by the overwhelming majority of observers coming into the term, the Merseysiders saw off the challenge of pre-season favorites Arsenal and Manchester City to make history.
By equalling Manchester United’s record haul of 20 league titles, Slot has already earned legend status on the Kop, putting him alongside greats of yesteryear including Kenny Dalglish, Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly in delivering the championship. Now, ex-Liverpool defender Lawrenson has implored Reds chiefs to strengthen while they are on top – calling on his old side to add a host of reinforcements in the next transfer window.
The former Match of the Day analyst is convinced that five new recruits could be required in the coming months to give Slot the best fighting chance of retaining the title. In an exclusive interview with Liverpool.com, he asserted that new additions are most pressing in defense and attack.
Earmarking the problem areas in Slot’s squad, he opined: “We need another center-back and obviously we’ll need another right back, I would have thought. We probably need another left back. Apart from that, obviously the strikers.
“So you’re probably talking – in an ideal world – five new players. I mean, that can be offset by sales but I think that the last couple of months we’ve been looking at it saying ‘do you think his legs have gone? Do you think this guy’s good enough to come in and play semi-regularly? Are we strong enough at the back?’ All of those things.
“So it’s gone from it looking like a fantastic job to have for Arne Slot to ‘show us what you’re made of this summer’,” he continued, as he predicted that the Liverpool boss and transfer chiefs Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards are in for a busy off-season. “I mean, I don’t think he’ll be going on a summer holiday will he?
(Image: PA)
Accepting that vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to end his 20-year association with the club at the end of this campaign, Lawrenson admitted that the homegrown star will be difficult to replace. He said: “There is no other right-back in the league who is basically a midfield player, whose passing range is just brilliant. You can bring someone else in but they won’t be like Trent – on the ball he’s just sensation. Every full-back gets beat, it’s the way that it is. But he will be a big, big miss.”
With the right-back seemingly heading for the exit door, the pundit was keen to emphasize how essential it was that his old side retained the services of its other dressing room leaders. According to the ex-defender, signing up key dressing room leaders in the form of captain Virgil van Dijk and talisman Mohamed Salah to fresh terms was of paramount importance.
Comparing the influence of the current skipper, in particular, to that of previous incumbent Graeme Souness during his time at Anfield, he provided some insight into the role experienced personnel play behind the scenes. He said: “Graeme, for me was just behind Kenny in terms of what he did in the team. He was brilliant.
“We actually bought two players, just because we had to. There was no way we could get another Graeme Souness. Basically, the captain, Van Dijk, he runs the dressing room. He’s not just an outstanding player. People like him are priceless. You just know with him, he looks after everybody.
“If they’re not doing it, he’s on them, if they’re playing well, he’s with them. The communication between him and the manager makes the job of the manager a little bit easier.”
