Liverpool face several key decisions next season after their eye-catching transfer business
Alexander isak and Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool
Alexander isak and Hugo Ekitike were major signings for Liverpool last summer(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Liverpool have endured a challenging season and are set to undergo more major changes in the summer transfer window. The reigning champions quickly fell out of the title race as their huge recruitment drive led to a transitional campaign.
The Reds have improved since the lows of losing six of seven league games from September until November. The following 12 matches have brought just one defeat after manager Arne Slot adopted a more defensive structure, though the recent 4-1 victory over Newcastle United was a sign that Liverpool are edging back to their best.
That performance saw summer arrivals Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike combine on the pitch, offering a positive glimpse of the future. However, Liverpool will still have several key decisions to make as the club continue to rebuild and reshape their team. Here is a look at how the Reds could choose to alter their team next season.
£86m duo slot in
Liverpool have decided on the long-term heirs to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at the heart of defence. Giovanni Leoni completed a £26million move from Parma in August and the Reds have since agreed a £60m deal for Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, who is set to arrive at Anfield next season.
Given the sizeable fee paid for Jacquet, who has earned plenty of plaudits for his displays in Ligue 1, the 20-year-old will be widely expected to immediately slot into the team. His compatriot Konate is also nearing the end of his contract and is yet to agree to fresh terms, potentially leaving a space in the side that Jacquet can make his own.
Club captain Van Dijk continues to show remarkable consistency, being ever-present across the Premier League and Champions League so far this season. However, at 34 years old, Liverpool require a succession plan for their talismanic defender.
Leoni suffered the misfortune of a season-ending injury on his Liverpool debut in September. However, the teenager is clearly highly-rated by the club and, when fully fit, could gradually begin to ease the load on Van Dijk next term.
Jeremy Jacquet of Rennes
Jeremy Jacquet is set to be part of Liverpool's defence next season(Image: Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
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Isak's new role
Much of Liverpool’s eye-catching summer window surrounded their pursuit of Alexander Isak, who had shone for Newcastle United. The Reds paid a British record £125m for the Swedish striker but Isak was short of fitness, limiting him to six league starts, before suffering a serious injury in December.
Meanwhile, Ekitike was signed for £79m and made an instant impact in a Liverpool shirt, scoring 15 goals in 32 games for his new club. The dilemma Reds boss Slot faces is whether to play both his expensive strikers together.
It was a tactic that the manager opted not to use in the Premier League, though the duo did start together in Champions League victories over Eintracht Frankfurt and Inter Milan. However, given the team’s unfamiliarity with a 4-4-2 formation, Isak should face a battle to dislodge Ekitike as Liverpool’s starting striker when he recovers from injury.
That would force Isak to accept the surprising role of being Liverpool's backup number nine, which is not what he would have envisioned for his Anfield career. It would then be up to the 26-year-old to take the opportunities he is given and prove that he can replicate his previously prolific Newcastle form in Slot's system.
Mohamed Salah exit
It has been an eventful season for Mohamed Salah, despite struggling to maintain his best form on the pitch, having finished last term with 29 league goals. He has still registered nine goal contributions across 16 games but much of the focus has centred on Salah’s future.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool
Mohamed Salah has had an eventful season so far(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))
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Following Liverpool’s poor run of form, Salah was dropped to the bench by Slot, which resulted in a memorable outburst after the club’s draw with Leeds United in December. The Egypt international subsequently represented his country at the Africa Cup of Nations and has since returned to the Liverpool team, but was the subject of speculation throughout the January transfer window.
The 33-year-old is approaching the final year os his contract and has been consistently linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League. Given his reduced output this term, Liverpool should cash in on the club legend, which would then allow Wirtz and Ekitike to become the focal points of the team’s attack.
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