With the arrival of Andoni Iraola and a major rebuild already underway, Liverpool’s current squad picture makes for fascinating reading.
On paper, there is plenty of quality throughout the team. However, once you look beyond the starting XI, concerns quickly begin to emerge regarding depth, injuries and the possibility of further departures.
At present, Liverpool’s senior squad stands at around 26 players.
But the reality may not be quite as healthy as that number suggests.
Liverpool currently have four goalkeepers available:
* Alisson Becker
* Giorgi Mamardashvili
* Freddie Woodman
* Armin Pecsi
This is arguably the strongest and most settled department in the squad.
Alisson remains one of the world’s elite goalkeepers, while Mamardashvili arrives with a growing reputation and could eventually become Liverpool’s long-term number one.
There are no major concerns here.
Current defensive options include:
* Jeremy Frimpong
* Conor Bradley (injured)
* Jeremy Jacquet
* Virgil van Dijk
* Gio Leoni
* Joe Gomez
* Milos Kerkez
* Kostas Tsimikas
This is where questions begin to appear.
Virgil van Dijk remains the leader of the defence, but Liverpool are heavily reliant on him once again.
Jacquet and Leoni are highly-rated prospects, but asking inexperienced defenders to play every week for a club with Liverpool’s ambitions would be a huge gamble.
Meanwhile, Joe Gomez continues to be linked with a move away, while Bradley’s injury leaves Frimpong carrying significant responsibility at right-back.
The defensive unit still feels short of proven experience following the departure of Ibrahima Konaté.
Liverpool’s midfield currently consists of:
* Florian Wirtz
* Dominik Szoboszlai
* Curtis Jones
* Alexis Mac Allister
* Wataru Endo
* Stefan Bajcetic
* Trey Nyoni
* Ryan Gravenberch
On paper, this is arguably Liverpool’s strongest area.
The arrival of Wirtz adds genuine world-class creativity, while Gravenberch, Jones and Szoboszlai provide energy and athleticism.
However, uncertainty remains.
Mac Allister continues to be linked with Real Madrid.
Endo’s future remains unclear.
Bajcetic is still rebuilding after injury setbacks.
And while Trey Nyoni’s potential is enormous, he remains a young player still developing.
The quality is there, but there are still questions.
Liverpool’s current attacking options include:
* Alexander Isak
* Cody Gakpo
* Rio Ngumoha
* Hugo Ekitike (injured)
* Federico Chiesa
This may be the area causing the greatest concern.
Isak is undoubtedly a top-class striker, but his fitness record continues to generate debate.
Ekitike is currently injured and expected to miss a significant portion of the season.
Chiesa has openly admitted his future is uncertain.
Gakpo continues to be linked with other clubs.
And while Ngumoha is an incredibly exciting prospect, asking a teenager to shoulder major attacking responsibility would be unfair.
Suddenly, what looks like five attackers on paper begins to look much thinner.
The biggest issue is not necessarily the current quality.
It is the uncertainty.
Several players remain linked with exits.
Others are recovering from injuries.
And some positions still require significant reinforcement.
Liverpool have assembled the foundations of a very talented squad.
But this is clearly still a work in progress.
Andoni Iraola inherits a group filled with talent, but also one filled with unanswered questions.
The starting XI looks capable of competing with anyone.
The concern comes when injuries, suspensions and fixture congestion begin to test the depth.
Liverpool supporters will therefore hope that the transfer window is far from finished.
Because while the current squad contains plenty of quality, it still feels a few signings away from being truly complete.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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