Liverpool are yet to make a signing in the summer transfer window; this is Arne Slot's first pre-season in charge of the club; Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi was the latest name to be linked with Anfield but he has rejected a move
Thursday 15 August 2024 08:49, UK
From a complete overhaul of their midfield last summer, to absolutely no movement this time around. Liverpool are yet to make a signing in Arne Slot's first transfer window in charge of the club - but why?
The arrivals of World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and coveted Bundesliga star Dominik Szoboszlai - as well as Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo - sparked the interest of the Liverpool fan base just over a year ago, as the club revitalised their ageing midfield.
Long-term servants James Milner, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departed the club, making way for a new era at Anfield.
Many assumed a similar recruitment policy would be executed ahead of the 2024/25 season, in a bid to arm Slot with sufficient backing in the window to make his mark on the squad left by Jurgen Klopp.
However, with time ticking and transfer deadline day on August 31 approaching, Liverpool are yet to make a signing.
So why haven't they made their move yet? Sky Sports' Melissa Reddy gives her take on the situation here:
In July, Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes provided a window into the club's thought process with recruitment this summer.
There were three points of note; Arne Slot wanted the chance to assess the full squad properly, he expected activity to ramp up as August moved on, and the clincher was that Liverpool "will always be opportunistic if we can."
The main possibilities that have been explored definitely fit that last detail.
There was a bite at Anthony Gordon for £75 million when Newcastle were trying to fall into PSR line, with Joe Gomez moving in the opposite direction for £45m.
They looked into the state of play around Leny Yoro with a year left on his Lille deal, and were encouraged to pursue Martin Zubimendi, who had a buy-out clause in his Real Sociedad contract.
The above were situational opportunities that would have fed Slot's football and kept in line with the top-tier policy, but none of them came off.
Newcastle raised funds without needing to shift a major asset, Yoro's price tag was too high - plus Manchester United had put themselves in pole position to get him if Real Madrid didn't push - and Zubimendi reneged on his word to understandably remain committed to his boyhood club.
It leaves Liverpool as the only Premier League club yet to make a permanent signing this summer, but it is informative about the positions they want to strengthen, the profile they are after, and the type of deal that suits them.
It has become clear that Slot's preference would be to have a technically proficient No 6, able to control play with the ball, for his "kill them with passes" tenet over a destroyer or runner.
It is the position he has experimented with the most over pre-season, and also the one Liverpool believe to be a shallow pool in the market.
Slot has been working on an internal solution - thought to be Gravenberch deepest with Mac Allister and Szoboszlai ahead of him - if a high-quality stylistic fit cannot be found in the window. There are options to tinker there.
Liverpool have always maintained that no signing is better than the wrong signing and an upcoming book by the former director of research, Ian Graham, titled 'How to Win the Premier League' sheds light on just how surgical the club can be.
The attraction to Yoro shows that Liverpool are keen on a progressive centre-back with a high ceiling, and Gordon speaks to adding a quality attacker.
Although he thrived off the left for Newcastle where he was a nightmare for markers given the ability to create with both feet, going inside or outside, Gordon has also been used on the right, as a false nine, a second striker, and even as a No 8.
What Liverpool want to do in the market cannot be separated from the main issue at the club: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are in the final year of their deals.
This affects short and long-term plans, and there needs to be absolute clarity on what is happening in this regard soonest.
Given his age, uniqueness and ties to the club, renewing Alexander-Arnold - hugely admired by Real - is a priority.
Liverpool have been hesitant to offer lengthy deals to players in their 30s who already have a wealth of heavy-metal football in their legs, but Van Dijk and Salah remain core contributors.
It is a concern that the Merseysiders have put themselves in the position where three of their transformers could leave for free, and replacing all of them - or even more than one - in the same window would come at a considerable cost.
It is not a far-fetched conclusion to reach that some of Liverpool's conservatism this summer rotates around what might happen in the next one.
Replacing a large chunk of the spine of the squad will be a taxing and expensive challenge.
If the trio do commit their futures to the club, it would impact the wage bill but allow recruitment to focus on adding squad depth, while getting the time to source an elite centre-back and forward to eventually replace Van Dijk and Salah.
If Alexander-Arnold is in for the long haul, the question is in what capacity under Slot? It would determine whether funds are required for a top right-back or midfielder.
Ultimately, what Liverpool want and need to do spins around the next steps with Alexander-Arnold, Salah, and Van Dijk.
Hughes has inherited an unenviable task, largely through the upheaval in his position over the past few years.
There has also been the added dimension of appointing a new backroom and performance set-up following the departure of Klopp and his staff.
This was never going to be a summer for Liverpool to redesign the squad, with the big blind spot being a No 6.
It has been a recurring problem with last summer producing failed moves for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
It is hard to argue against adding a centre-back and left-back especially if there are outgoings, as well as an additional attacker given the injury history of the otherwise excellent Diogo Jota.
Meanwhile, Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, valued over £30m by Valencia, has been monitored by the club.
Liverpool believe more can be maximised from the current squad through coaching, there is still plenty of room for development, and there are young talents who should have a clear pathway to the first team like Trey Nyoni.
Still, it is difficult to imagine them persisting as the only top-flight team in England not to strengthen this summer as more opportunism opens up before the window closes.
