Liverpool has confirmed what we have known for some weeks, claiming its 20th top-flight title. After the last Premier League triumph came in the middle of a global pandemic, fans will make sure they are not guilty of under-celebrating this time — but transfer talk is never far away for long, and it’s interesting to look back on the business from the last time the Reds won the league.
Once the dust settles, Liverpool will be determined to ensure that Arne Slot is adequately equipped to forge a dynasty at Anfield. One title is undeniably lovely, but now that Manchester United’s tally has been equalled, focus will turn to leaving the old enemy in the dust.
Even Jurgen Klopp, one of the greatest figures in the club’s history, never added to his single Premier League crown. That owed as much to Man City’s excellence as anything else, but there is a lingering sense that maybe Liverpool could have done that tiny bit more in the transfer market.
In theory, Liverpool will never be in a better position to buy. Newly-crowned champion, it can strengthen from a position of strength, with Champions League football on offer and a tangible claim to be the best team in England.
Not only that, but Liverpool only added Federico Chiesa in Slot’s first summer, as well as agreeing a future deal for Giorgi Mamardashvili. There is a feeling that there will be money to spend, even if renewals for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah did not come cheap.
Will FSG show sufficient ambition? Only time will tell, but perhaps there are one or two clues contained in the summer of 2020.
Thiago Alcantara
There is a narrative that Liverpool failed to really flex its muscles in the transfer market after initial success under Klopp, an impression that probably stems from the summer after the Champions League triumph. Sepp van den Berg was the only addition on that occasion.
Yet after claiming the Premier League crown, Liverpool got to work in the transfer market. On paper, the signing of Thiago was the most ambitious in a very long time, luring a bona fide superstar to Anfield.
Yes, there were some caveats: Thiago was increasingly injury-prone, and Bayern Munich had been concerningly willing to let him approach the final year of his contract. But signed for around $27 million plus add-ons, it looked like a hugely exciting gamble at the very least.
Thiago was hailed by Pep Lijnders as the signing that Liverpool deserved, the orchestrator among heavy metal colleagues. He was meant to be the final piece of the puzzle, equipping Klopp’s side to face just about any kind of opponent.
But injuries bit even harder than could have been expected. His final 18 months at the club saw him barely kick a ball, and he hung up his boots altogether when he left.
It’s a sad legacy that he will go down as one of Klopp’s only senior signings not to win the Premier League. But he produced some wonderful moments for Liverpool, and did at least leave with domestic silverware to his name.
Diogo Jota
Diogo Jota is now a Premier League champion! He’s part of the furniture at Anfield at this point, and it almost feels strange that he wasn’t part of the last winning squad.
It’s safe to surmise that his signing has been a hit. Brought in for around $55 million plus add-ons, Jota was an alternative to Timo Werner, and it’s fair to say Liverpool made the right call.
Michael Edwards and the data team rightly predicted that his Wolves output could scale up when surrounded by better teammates. More than 60 goal involvements later, he’s scored or assisted in over half of his total appearances for Liverpool.
(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Much like Thiago, there is an unfortunate injury caveat, with Jota missing long stretches through various setbacks. But he has usually found a way to come back stronger, and has continued to be a contributor in the Slot era.
Exactly what the future holds for him remains somewhat unclear, with this being one of his weaker seasons in a Liverpool jersey. But he was undoubtedly a shrewd pick-up on the back of the last Premier League title triumph, providing quality back-up to the famed front three and better equipping Klopp to challenge on multiple fronts.
Kostas Tsimikas
One of the less eye-catching signings, Kostas Tsimikas has nonetheless proved to be a solid piece of business. Liverpool recognized the need for cover at left-back, but correctly gambled that Andy Robertson would be capable of delivering at the top level for some years to come.
As such, it shopped in the bargain basement. With Norwich playing hardball over Jamal Lewis (incidentally, his most recent move was a loan from Newcastle to Sao Paulo, which was cut short in January), Liverpool plucked Tsimikas out of relative obscurity, paying Olympiakos a little under $16 million.
When called upon, Tsimikas has been more than adequate cover, offering a stylistically similar option to Robertson and not looking too out of place. With the Scot faltering for the first time this season, he has occasionally provided Slot with an alternative, and has done reasonably well.
Tsimikas has not shown enough to take over as the first choice, and Liverpool will need to re-examine the position this summer. But you would not say that left-back has been the team’s undoing in any of the seasons since the title win, with Robertson and Tsimikas proving a perfectly solid duo.
Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies (January)
On paper, you’d say that Liverpool’s business immediately after claiming the title was solid. Tsimikas and Jota both enhanced the squad, while Thiago had the potential to be transformative.
But by January, it was clear that Liverpool had needed to go further. The defense, in particular, had collapsed under the weight of injuries, and the end of the month saw the Reds cave in and sanction some emergency business.
Ozan Kabak came in on loan, while Ben Davies arrived on a permanent deal. Remarkably, the latter never played a single minute for Liverpool.
Kabak was only marginally better, looking pretty decent before he too succumbed to injury. Now 25, he is carving out a solid Bundesliga career for himself at Hoffenheim.
Impressively, Liverpool still turned a profit on Davies, who spent a season on loan at Sheffield United before moving to Rangers. He has since moved on loan to Birmingham, where he has helped clinch the League One title this season.
Learn more
Regardless, this pair of signings should provide Liverpool with a warning of sorts ahead of this summer: there is no room for complacency. Unless the squad is up to scratch in every position, the title defense could collapse before it has even begun.
Ibrahima Konate has arrived since Kabak and Davies left, and the emergence of Jarell Quansah has eased the burden too. But there is still vulnerability at the heart of the defense, and failure to recruit would be taking another big chance.
If Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves, then Liverpool may well need a new right-back too, and indeed a new midfielder in an attempt to replace his lost creativity. Throw in at least one new attacker, and the demands are stacking up.
Obviously, the fact that Liverpool has just strolled to the title proves that the squad is in pretty good shape, and there is time to drink in the success before entering the transfer market. But history shows that even a moderately busy window is not always enough, and Edwards and Hughes will be determined to ensure that this time, the Reds have what it takes to stay on top.
