Liverpool is enjoying a prolonged festival of celebrations between now and the end of the season, with even the defeat to Chelsea unable to dent the party atmosphere in the away end. But Arne Slot will already be busy making transfer moves — and for certain players within the squad, this period might actually be more like a stay of execution.
After all, this group will not stay together in its current form for another season. Trent Alexander-Arnold has already confirmed he is leaving, and there are others who might not have as much choice in heading for the exit door.
A left-back is thought to be a priority, and while Andy Robertson is likely safe, that could spell the end of the road for Kostas Tsimikas. The arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili means the writing is on the wall for Caoimhin Kelleher as well, although in fairness, his chance to be a number one somewhere else is long overdue.
Most significantly of all, Slot appears to have more or less made up his mind on Darwin Nunez. Getting the best out of the Uruguayan was part of his mission when he came to Anfield, but the striker has actually regressed.
Handed a sustained opportunity earlier in the campaign, he failed to take it, and has been a peripheral figure in 2025. Liverpool chose to keep him amid January interest, but the summer decision looks as good as made.
The hope will be that Saudi interest resurfaces. That would present the unlikely prospect of Liverpool recouping the majority of the potential record fee it paid three summers ago. However, Harry Redknapp has urged Slot to think again. He believes that Nunez can still come good at Liverpool.
“I don’t think Liverpool should let Darwin Nunez go,” Rednkapp told BetVictor. “He can be a real handful for defenders and is lightning quick; a center-back’s worst nightmare.
(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
“If they did let him go, I don’t think they’d necessarily need to find a replacement. Liverpool have a lot of depth in forward positions and there’s not a lot of options on the market at the moment.
“There’s Matheus Cunha at Wolves, who looks like he could be nearing a move to Manchester United, he’s a great player. But I’m not sure what kind of forward Liverpool are after, because Cunha isn’t an “out and out” number nine.
“Everybody is looking for forwards, but where do you find them? Arsenal need to find a striker from somewhere, but who’s around? Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are the best in the field at the moment, but it’s very difficult to find world class players up front.”
The frustrating thing is that there’s a lot of truth in what Rednkapp says. There is a shortage of elite center-forwards, and Liverpool already has one on the books who can reliably generate a significant volume of chances for himself.
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And when Nunez is at his best, he can finish them too. Liverpool has not seen it often enough, but it’s easy to imagine that a simple arm around the shoulder from ‘Arry would unlock a world-class striker.
But the sad truth is that Nunez will never become that player, at least not at Liverpool. Whether it’s lack of confidence or lack of ability, it is almost impossible now to see him thriving at Anfield.
Slot has surely made up his mind already, and it is better for all parties if he sticks to that decision. Maybe Nunez can become a center-back’s worst nightmare again with a change of scenery — but Liverpool needs a striker who can bury chances like the one he got against Chelsea on Sunday, and that will unfortunately require the transfer market.
