Arne Slot may look to add to his Liverpool squad this month.placeholder image
Arne Slot may look to add to his Liverpool squad this month. | Getty Images
Liverpool have limited time left to do business in this January transfer window
Liverpool have yet to make any first-team additions this January and with just days left in the transfer window, Arne Slot will be faced with the final opportunity to add to his squad before the February 2 deadline.
The Reds have been inconsistent as of late and dropped out of the Premier League top four with a last-gasp 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth last time out, while rivals Manchester United and Chelsea both won the leapfrog the champions in the table.
While a thumping 6-0 victory over Qarabag on Wednesday night ensured a safe passage into the Champions League last 16 as third place in the league phase, Liverpool’s domestic form has left much to be desired and squad improvements may be needed, either in the final days of this window or in the summer. The board are believed to retain faith in Slot at present, and the Dutchman will have the chance to lead his side towards their goals until at least the end of this season.
Liverpool’s two positions to focus on - Ornstein
Liverpool are expected to be targeting two positions in 2026 according to David Ornstein, with a new centre-back and a winger believed to be top of Slot’s list of priorities in the transfer market.
Speaking on Sky Sports Premier League’s Transfer Show, Ornstein claimed that in addition to a new arrival in defence, securing a replacement for Mohamed Salah should be in the Reds’ thinking with less than 18 months remaining on the Egyptian’s deal at Anfield. Salah recently returned from AFCON and Ornstein floated that it will be interesting to see how his reintegration into the squad goes after his very public words against Slot and the club in early December.
With Liverpool not likely to pursue any deals this month, a defender and winger in the summer are likely to be their next two signings.
Ornstein on Salah’s future at Liverpool after AFCON
“I’m really intrigued to see how the post-AFCON reintegration goes, both in terms of the relationship with Slot, who he personally called out, and with the club, who he was clearly dissatisfied with over some things,” Ornstein said. “Whether it can all just calm down and they can get back to playing well and getting results. If the reintegration goes well, then presumably they’ll look to carry on towards the end of his contract in 2027.
“If it doesn’t, there’s definitely a conversation to be had in the summer: do we continue, or do we part ways? If they’re going to part ways, it leaves a massive hole. It leaves a hole that Liverpool would have been thinking about for some time, given that he might not have signed that contract and might have left previously.
“They liked somebody like Antoine Semenyo and would have had many other options for that position, but Salah was there. So the day that he leaves, they need to be well prepared for the gulf, the chasm, that his departure will leave. And that’s why, alongside central defence, you’ve got to assume that this is a key area of focus. But we don’t know whether he’ll continue or not.”
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