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What do Liverpool need to do this summer? Uncertain futures affecting their transfer window
What do Liverpool actually need to do this summer?
Ask 100 supporters and you would probably get 100 different answers right now.
A combination of Jurgen Klopp leaving and four Sporting Directors in as many summers is why the Reds find themselves in their current predicament.
There’s been a lot of upheaval behind the scenes after a bit of a backroom staff exodus following Klopp’s departure. There are still key positions to be filled even though pre-season is already underway.
The focus for new Sporting Director Richard Hughes is determining what the future holds for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
The influential trio are into the final 12 months of their deals and the club need to know, one way or another, whether the three players so pivotal to the club’s success under Klopp are going to be plying their trade at Anfield beyond next season.
According to The Athletic, a priority for Hughes is getting the vice-captain Alexander-Arnold to commit his future to the club. And while this should be at the very top of his agenda this summer, some fans are bemused by the idea that the transfer window is going to be shaped by player renewals rather than fresh faces arriving.
In normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be a case of either or. Liverpool should be able to sort new deals while improving their squad.
But this is unchartered territory for the Reds.
They can’t commit to spending huge sums on new arrivals without knowing whether or not Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah need to be replaced.
Through no fault of his own, Hughes finds himself in an unenviable position of having to negotiate three of the toughest renewals in the club’s history before he can even think about splashing the cash on new faces.
Who have Liverpool been linked with?
That is likely why there are so few reliable links to players so far this summer.
At one stage, Anthony Gordon appeared to be a target but those covering Liverpool have since reported this deal was being pushed by Newcastle in a bid to free them from the shackles of PSR.
The interest in Leny Yoro, revealed by Paul Joyce and David Ornstein, was brief after the club baulked at the idea of paying over £50million for the 18-year-old when he was into the final 12 months of his deal with Lille.
There was a lot of noise surrounding Takefusa Kubo before James Pearce claimed sources at both Liverpool and Real Sociedad had dismissed the idea that the Japan international was set for a move to Anfield.
With the 2024/25 Premier League campaign kicking off in a little under a month, Liverpool are yet to welcome any new faces, they’re still to determine what is going on with Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk while, due to involvement in international tournaments, new manager Arne Slot is without a host of star names for the pre-season tour of America.
With time ticking on, there’s still a lot to address.
So, over the next few weeks, what do Liverpool need to do?
Are they searching for replacements?
Firstly, they need to know whether they need to go shopping for a right-back, a centre-back and a right-winger in the very near future.
If they’re having to replace three key players in 12 months time, this will likely shape their transfer spend this summer. Hughes isn’t going to sign off on a potential nice to have signing this window when he knows that big investment will be required next summer.
As Sporting Director, he’s stuck in limbo until he knows for sure what is going on with those three players.
Once that is a little clearer, other things take priority.
How will Slot use Alexander-Arnold?
If Alexander-Arnold is staying, where is his future for Liverpool? Is Slot going to use him as a right-back or is the Dutchman going to turn the right-back into a full-time midfielder?
If he’s viewed as a midfielder, is a new right-back needed or will the Reds simply have faith in Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez to fill that spot?
If the No66 is a midfielder, does that end Liverpool’s need for a midfield recruit? Is he the player to fill the void left by Thiago’s departure?
If Slot opts to use Alexander-Arnold as a full-back, does Joe Gomez return to the centre-back shuffle on a permanent basis? It would leave Slot with a number of defensive options and it could well ease the need to sign a defender, despite the loss of Joel Matip.
This potentially limits the possibility of bringing in cover for Van Dijk though as there will be too many players vying for minutes.
It could mean the Reds use the transfer window to bring in a midfielder though.
Is a midfielder necessary?
Some believe this is already an area of strength for the Reds.
They have the bodies in the middle third but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the depth required. For example, they don’t have any real out-and-out defensive midfielders.
Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister did well sitting for Liverpool last season but they aren’t destroyers and there’s an argument to be made that the Argentine World Cup winner is better in a more advanced role.
If he’s used on the left of a midfield three, what does that mean for Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones?
How does Slot manage Stefan Bajcetic’s development if a big-money sitting midfielder arrives?
On this very topic, this week, The Athletic reiterated the fact the Dutchman wants to give opportunities to academy players. He won’t want to block their pathways with new faces without giving them an opportunity.
So this will impact the club’s transfer strategy too.
What happens with Salah?
Then there’s the Salah situation.
If he’s staying, is an understudy brought in to help ease the load on the free-scoring right-winger?
If the plan is for him to depart in 12 months time, is his replacement signed this summer in an attempt to make the transition a little more seamless?
There is a world in which Liverpool, due to being handicapped by the decisions of key players, do nothing this summer and attack the 2024/25 campaign with the same group of players.
And that playing under a new manager will be enough to eke that extra 10% out of certain individuals while Slot assesses the group he has ahead of a busy 2025 summer.
It could pay off if everyone stays fit and players adapt to Slot’s demands early on. It could see them have a transitional season and struggle.
It really would be a roll of the dice. It is an unnecessary gamble but one that this club has taken before, on multiple occasions, under former manager Klopp.
You could make the argument that Liverpool need to sign multiple players and address weaknesses across a number of areas, and you’d be right.
There are strong cases to be made to sign a left-back, a centre-back, a defensive midfielder and a right-winger, and it is difficult to argue against it.
But the biggest thing the 2019/20 Premier League champions need to do is figure out what is going on with Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold. Only then will they be able to move forward as a club and a team.
And only then will we really see what Hughes is all about as a Sporting Director.
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