When Arne Slot took the reins at Liverpool final 12 months, his job was spelt out clearly by the membership’s bosses. “The main aim in what they told me is look at the players, give your opinion about it so we can go into this project in the second and the third year,” Slot mentioned lately.
But beneath the Dutchman’s steering, the Merseyside membership clinched a record-equalling twentieth English league title forward of schedule, capitalising on Manchester City’s sudden and surprising fall. Slot inherited a squad that had been constructed by Jurgen Klopp on 4 elite pillars — goalkeeper Alisson, centre-back Virgil van Dijk, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and winger Mohamed Salah — and honed it right into a critical contender.
Minor tweaks
Slot opted for refinement over revolution within the brief time period. After signing simply Federico Chiesa, nominally Salah’s back-up, in final 12 months’s summer switch window, he solely made minor tweaks to Klopp’s counterpressing, transition-heavy game-model. It did assist Slot that Salah had a historic, age-defying season — his 47 purpose involvements (29 objectives, 18 assists) are a file — however the supervisor’s affected person, steadying affect deserves quite a lot of reward.
Now, forward of the 2025-26 season, Slot has the chance to stamp his mark on Liverpool. Right by means of the season, there have been questions surrounding the futures of Klopp’s pillars. Alexander-Arnold, Salah and van Dijk had been all out of contract this summer whereas Alisson endured an injury-hit marketing campaign. There is larger readability round these conditions now — consequently, there isn’t any ambiguity about Liverpool’s priorities this summer.
With Alexander-Arnold shifting to Real Madrid, Slot has to plan a approach to exchange a unicorn profile. Salah, quickly to be 33, and van Dijk, quickly to be 34, have signed short-term extensions, and so the necessity to future-proof the squad is paramount. And given how small the margins within the Premier League are, Liverpool additionally has to strengthen its core group with a level-raiser or two.
One out, one in: Liverpool moved shortly to signal Netherlands right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen to exchange Trent Alexander-Arnold. An glorious dribbler, ball-carrier and runner into area, the 24-year-old gives Arne Slot the choice of switching to a 3-5-2.
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“I think we can find one or two extra weapons this team doesn’t have,” Slot mentioned. “Maybe, by using the transfer market. That is what we are trying to achieve. That will only make us stronger. That is what we need because we saw City spending £200m in the [January] transfer window. All of them will. Apart from the transfer window, we can also improve certain aspects ourselves.”
The early indicators from Liverpool’s exercise available in the market recommend that it is going to be a summer to recollect. The membership moved shortly to signal Netherlands right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, triggering a launch clause reported to be between 35 and 40 million euros.
Liverpool additionally managed to recuperate about 10 million euros of Frimpong’s worth from the switch of Alexander-Arnold, whom the membership feared it’d lose for nothing. But Madrid’s want to signal the Englishman in time for the Club World Cup meant Liverpool might extract a price for letting him go earlier than his contract expired on the finish of June.
Although each Alexander-Arnold and Frimpong are attack-minded right-backs, the latter isn’t a like-for-like substitute. Alexander-Arnold’s supreme imaginative and prescient and passing capability had been cheat-codes. He might kill an opposition press with a elegant ball excessive, begin transitions from Liverpool’s field after defending a nook with a line-breaking go and ship unstoppable, pinpoint crosses from the suitable half-space in settled possession.
Creative options
Given how distinctive Alexander-Arnold’s items are, Liverpool is aware of it might’t discover one other participant of his kind and high quality available in the market. So it’s changing the menace he carries in different methods. Frimpong just isn’t an incisive long-passer, however he is a wonderful dribbler, ball-carrier and runner into area — actually, Netherlands performed him as an out-and-out winger within the Nations League playoffs.
One of Leverkusen’s stars in its unbeaten 2023-24 Bundesliga marketing campaign, Frimpong performed as a wing-back beneath Xabi Alonso and gives Slot the choice of switching to a 3-5-2. The 24-year-old’s goal-threat and penetrative potential in a wing partnership with Salah ought to supply Liverpool a new offensive dynamic within the upcoming season.
A participant who might add a totally completely different dimension to the Reds assault is Frimpong’s Leverkusen teammate Florian Wirtz, among the finest gamers of his era and maybe the most important title available on the market this window. The 22-year-old, who emerged as one of the vital highly-rated younger playmakers in Europe after serving to Leverkusen finish Bayern Munich’s monopoly final 12 months, is the kind of level-raising expertise that helps win trophies.
A new wizard on Merseyside? Florian Wirtz, who has emerged as one of the vital extremely rated younger playmakers in Europe, is the kind of level-raising expertise that helps win trophies. But Liverpool must fork out a hefty price for Wirtz’s magical capability.
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Both athlete and technician, Wirtz is able to producing match-defining moments with a inventive through-ball, a line-eliminating dribble or a purpose out of nowhere. He can also be an distinctive associative participant, adept at knitting play collectively, quickening tempo and making runs to stretch the defence and vogue area for his teammates.
It’s no shock, due to this fact, that he additionally attracted curiosity from Bayern and City, however it’s believed he made it clear to Leverkusen that he needs to affix Liverpool. A deal gained’t be low cost, because the Reds discovered when their reported bid of 130 million euros (together with add-ons) was turned down. But Liverpool has important monetary headroom, having saved its powder dry final season, and Wirtz is within the top-tier of expertise that justifies such a heavy outlay.
Wirtz might additionally mitigate, to a point, any drop-off Salah suffers. While Liverpool must discover replacements for Salah and van Dijk, it has purchased itself time at the very least till subsequent summer due to the contract extensions. But with forwards Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz anticipated to maneuver and centre-back Ibrahima Konate but to increase a contract that expires subsequent 12 months, the membership shall be looking out for sensible offers in assault and defence, ought to they emerge this summer.
Liverpool will even have an eye fixed on central midfield, which might do with bolstering. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister had been in a position to persistently produce a excessive degree final season, however they performed a whole lot of minutes. A flexible midfielder who can deputise for each will supply Slot extra choices to rotate subsequent season. Liverpool can also be seeking to add expertise at left-back, with Bournemouth’s spectacular Milos Kerkez tipped to make the transfer to Merseyside.
Thou shalt not go: The 6’6” Giorgi Mamardashvili is ready to understudy Alisson earlier than finally changing into the Reds’ No. 1 goalkeeper. Liverpool agreed a take care of the shot-stopping Georgian big final 12 months, however he spent the season at Valencia as he waited to shift to Anfield.
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Succession planning
One place that the membership has already future-proofed is goalkeeper. Caoimhin Kelleher’s departure, in a take care of Brentford that would reportedly rise to £18 million, makes room for Giorgi Mamardashvili, a 6’6” shot-stopping big who is ready to understudy Alisson earlier than finally changing into the Reds’ No. 1 goalkeeper. Liverpool agreed a take care of the Georgian final 12 months, however he spent the season at Valencia as he waited to shift to Anfield.
“Whatever happens in terms of players going out, players coming in, I think it should be a big summer,” mentioned captain van Dijk. “I think they’re planning to make it a big summer, so we all have to trust the board to do the right job. We shouldn’t forget the quality that the Premier League possesses. It’s incredible how everyone can beat everyone. We must strengthen 100 percent.”
Published – June 07, 2025 03:34 pm IST
