Arne Slot has officially started work this week as Liverpool boss, with players starting to filter back to the AXA Training Centre to get his first pre-season officially underway.
But there won’t be any new faces in the squad for training, with Liverpool, Slot and Richard Hughes keeping their powder dry in the transfer market as things stand.
Liverpool have yet to sanction any major moves, despite links with various centre-back targets and discussions with Newcastle over winger Anthony Gordon.
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There is work to do, however, with several holes to fill the squad Slot inherits from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield and with their rivals starting to show their hand in the transfer market.
But who should Liverpool sign to fire their transfer window into life? And who should be avoided? Our panel have their say.
Paul Gorst
With a full complement of players fit and firing, Liverpool’s squad is a formidable one.
Sadly, we’ve seen how much injuries can decimate the ranks at times in recent years however and the calls to sign both a centre-back and a high-quality defensive midfielder are fair.
That being said, I would love to see Liverpool add to their forward ranks with an ambitious raid for another front player. The Reds turned down the opportunity to enter into serious talks for Anthony Gordon last week when Newcastle offered their England winger to their boyhood club in what is said to have been a desperate, PSR-panicked rush.
Liverpool admire the player but a deal could not be struck with the club having no intention of allowing Jarell Quansah go the other way as part of the deal. They also feel they are well stocked on the left side of the attack with Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo all capable of playing there.
Despite that, I would love to see the Reds move for either Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at Napoli or Athletic Club’s Spain international Nico Williams, both of whom operate off the left. The former tore Liverpool to shreds in a 4-1 win for Napoli nearly two years ago and shone for Georgia prior to their European Championship exit recently. The attacker might prove too costly however, particularly given the position he plays – where Liverpool have several options.
Williams, though, is younger and has a reported buyout clause of around £50m, which, while costly, is not too exorbitant in the modern era. Yes, he also performs best off the left but he is an exciting talent and could even be moulded into someone who could help on the right side to give Mohamed Salah a rest at times next term. At that price, age and quality, there is plenty to like about such a potential deal. It’s a mouthwatering prospect. And no, this isn’t signing a player on the back of a good international tournament, which is always a major risk. Williams looks the real deal.
Joe Rimmer
Liverpool approach the transfer market on their own terms.
You won’t catch the Reds getting caught up in too many transfer sagas or allowing agents to use the club as an attempt to push their client to another club. They like to manage expectations and that’s why we’ve seen them publicly pull out of the race for Jude Bellingham last year, or Michael Edwards ensure that the Reds wouldn’t be used by agent of Nicolas Pepe by contacting Lille directly back in 2019.
And it’s why things appear to be very quiet as things stand, with Liverpool relaxed about the options at their disposal.
All that being said, wouldn’t it be encouraging for all involved to see the Reds make a statement of intent by going out and getting a statement deal over the line.
And what bigger statement than plucking Anthony Gordon from up-and-coming Newcastle? He clearly wants the move, they clearly need to do business and it’s always great to remind an ambitious team where they stand in the pecking order.
Yes, Liverpool already have a left winger, but Luis Diaz’s future remains uncertain and the beauty of Gordon, Diaz and all of the other forwards at Slot’s disposal is their versatility. We know Liverpool will have enough games next season.
A centre-back, left-back and a midfielder would also be on my shopping list, as well as a third choice goalkeeper, but nothing gets the pulse racing like an exciting forward, and Gordon is the perfect man for that.
Richard Garnett
Liverpool’s annoying trait of conceding first against opponents last season was a cause for concern and although the Reds have some really good defenders in their ranks such as Jarell Quansah, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, a replacement for the departed Joel Matip would still be high on my priority list.
Riccardo Calafiori remains the flavour of the month and certainly appears to tick all of the boxes in terms of what Liverpool will need, but if Arsenal have stolen a march on the Reds they will probably have to consider alternative options. If Konate and Quansah are the youth of Arne Slot’s rear guard I think there is room for a more experienced centre-back who can manage in-game situations. Could Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah be the man for the job? At 28 he has been around long enough to know the game, has just enjoyed huge success in the Bundesliga under Xabi Alonso and is doing well for the German national team at Euro 2024. Perhaps Liverpool’s former midfield maestro can do his old club a favour after snubbing a managerial move himself.
Matthew Abbott
A new right-back is in need if Slot sees Trent Alexander-Arnold as more of a midfielder than a full-back this coming season. Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez showed they can deputize out there – as is Sepp van den Berg in the unlikely scenario that the defender does not make a move this summer – last term, but adding another option seems necessary.
Lutsharel Geertruida looks like an ideal potential addition after playing under Slot in Rotterdam for the past three seasons. The Netherlands international is also versatile, meaning Alexander-Arnold can revert to right-back if required. Geertruida is comfortable playing in the centre of defence and has also played as a defensive midfielder by Slot. Those are two positions that could also do with addressing after the departures of Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara this summer.
The Dutch defender also offers a goal threat, which was lacking from the Liverpool backline over recent seasons. Geertruida has 24 goals in almost 200 senior appearances for Feyenoord, 15 of which came from centre-back. But from full-back, the player can also create, assisting five goals while primarily playing on the right last season. That would give the Reds an outlet from the flanks they lose when Alexander-Arnold plays more centrally, and Gomez plays in his place.
Geertruida’s contract also expires next summer, suggesting the player should be available for a cut-price fee this summer. There is reportedly interest from elsewhere, most prominently Paris Saint-Germain, but the Slot factor should give Liverpool an advantage.