As we head into August, Liverpool are the only Premier League club to have signed this transfer window.
The Reds started a new era. Jurgen Klopp has left his position as manager, and the club has implemented a new structure.
As head coach Arne Slot, Richard Hughes takes over as athletic director. His predecessors, Michael Edwards and Julian Ward, now manage other FSG games but are still directly involved in the club. Their re-employment calls it ‘back to the future’ as FSG move closer to a multi-club model with two familiar and trusted faces.
There has been frustration from fans at their inaction regarding additions to the playing squad, but inside Liverpool things remain calm and orderly.
Here’s everything you need to know about Liverpool’s summer business plans.
90 min you understand that there are many reasons why Liverpool are not working in the income column.
As the athletic director, Hughes has taken the lead in recruiting, but his scheduled start date has always been scheduled for the summer even though he has worked on the slot selection before. Hughes agreed to join Liverpool from Bournemouth at the start of 2024 and was put on garden leave – he was given permission to lead the Reds’ search for Klopp’s replacement, but could not be involved in transfers until the end of the season.
Some top recruiting figures in Dave Fallows, the head of recruiting and evaluation, and Barry Hunter, the head of scouting, have shown that they are important in planning this window, but there are unknowns that make it an unusual construction this summer. Fortunately, both are trusted and considered a formidable partnership in the industry.
Head coach Slot has spent the last month or so scouting his team, making for a natural period of reflection. He said himself during Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the US that it would be a surprise if their transfer drought continued for any length of time.
But ultimately, Liverpool is a club that prefers to be judged at the end of the window rather than on time or against rival clubs. They work in a quiet and intelligent way and always try to ignore the noise.
Although Liverpool are always looking for ways to improve the squad, 90 min you understand they are determined to retain their current crop of key players.
The Reds, in an ideal world, would keep the likes of Alisson, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz next season.
Team captain Virgil van Dijk and vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, however, have had their futures thrown into doubt with less than 12 months left on their contracts. Liverpool have no worries about their immediate situation, but would still like to know if they are serious about next season. Talks continue with the pair over their futures, and in Alexander-Arnold’s case, his position in the team is moving forward. How Slot uses and entertains him will be key to extending the contract and fending off any interest from Real Madrid in future windows.
It’s understood Slot and the recruitment team’s priority was to ensure they weren’t caught off guard by exiting or their core team wanting to leave, giving them the information they needed to decide who to target and the budgets to work with.
Over the past few summers, Salah has been a key target for the Saudi Pro League. But also, 90 min he understands Liverpool believes he will still be at the club when the transfer window closes.
Likewise, Alisson has been linked with a move to the Middle East, although he is also expected to stay at Anfield. Al Ittihad and Al Nassr, the two clubs who are looking for goalkeepers this summer, have only approached Manchester City’s Ederson, while the Saudi dealers have always felt that Alisson is not available this summer.
There is also surprising interest from Saudi Arabia in one of Liverpool’s future stars – top-class winger Ben Doak. The 18-year-old was expected to shine in Klopp’s final season, but his campaign was quickly derailed by a knee injury that required surgery.
The Saudi Pro League, and Al Nassr in particular, like the idea of loaning Doak. Not only will they acquire one of the Premier League’s top talents, but they will also catch the attention of Liverpool fans around the world in the hope of getting a glimpse of his progress. The foreign player quotas in the Saudi Pro League now allow for two more players aged 21 or under, so there is a greater focus on youth than 12 months ago.
While Liverpool respects the Saudi Pro League and its project, they do not believe such a move by Doak makes sense, citing cultural and climate differences, late start times and language barriers. When Liverpool loan a player, they look not only at quality and training but facilities and culture. That is why Leicester City and Southampton are currently leading the way.
Elsewhere, Liverpool have already received bids for Wataru Endo – £11.8m from Marseille – and Sepp van den Berg – £10m from PSV Eindhoven. Both offers are significantly lower in their ratings for eligible players, however.
Here’s the juice we know you’ve been waiting for.
Sources have told us 90 min there is certainly a preferred profile Liverpool are targeting this summer, with players aged 25 and under preferred.
There are two main positions Liverpool hope to strengthen – forward and centre-back are their priorities. If Endo is traded, a defensive midfielder will be on the agenda.
For a centre-back, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Willian Pacho is still being considered 90 min understand that Piero Hincapie’s links to Bayer Leverkusen are very extensive.
As previously reported by 90 minLevi Colwill has many fans in Liverpool, but the team respects the situation of Chelsea – he is not affected at this time, and unlike Bayern Munich, the approach was not made this summer in the player’s camp or in the Blues.
Liverpool have been among the top clubs interested in Leny Yoro, who recently signed for Manchester United from Lille for an initial fee of £52.2m and a further £58.9m.
The Reds’ promotion of Yoro was based on his immense promise and potential, building their case around his potential to become a generational talent within three seasons. They didn’t want to overpromise the 18-year-old too soon and felt it would be unfair to place such expectations on his shoulders from the outset. Liverpool rarely over-promise because they believe that giving realistic and patient approaches is best, and historically they try to buy before they are needed, which means that young players have a transition period before they may be required to play a heavy number of minutes.
On the other hand, United were happy to comply with Lille’s demands, which is a smart strategy since they put pressure on Real Madrid to match their bid and tempt the player. His arrival at Old Trafford was celebrated, but this is not an approach that can be taken very often, otherwise clubs could be left with a dressing room of stars who feel that the pitch and the reality are not the same.
Liverpool’s model is not so strict that sometimes they don’t pay more than they want. We saw this past summer with their surprise £111m bid for Moises Caicedo, only for the midfielder to stick with Chelsea. Around £150m was spent on four players last summer in the end – Liverpool are spending, but they want value.
More broadly, Liverpool are not only creating a succession plan for Salah, but also the profile of players who can play on the left. Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers was pointed, however 90 min understands he may join Tottenham Hotspur if he leaves Molineux this summer.
One name to watch is Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, who can play on both flanks and in midfield, while he is available for around £60m – the value of his release clause – and is seen as a reality. target.
If Endo needs to be replaced, then Atalanta’s Ederson has been discussed. However, the deal has not progressed as suggested in the Italian press recently. Brazilian international Joao Gomes is another name on the shortlist although Wolves are interested in keeping him.
Liverpool’s new era will continue in the transfer market, but patience is still a virtue preached from top to bottom at the club. The decision makers are not panicking and just because there seems to be some calm, it doesn’t mean that hard work isn’t being done behind the scenes that could lead to a successful August.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, FOLLOW THE CUTS AND GOSSIP
Source link
