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Andoni Iraola inherits a squad in urgent need of surgery.
But despite the scale of the rebuild required at Anfield, do not expect Liverpool to move in a frantic rush.
The scale of change at Liverpool this summer is remarkable by any measure.
There are glaring gaps in the squad following the departures of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate as free agents.
Three pillars of the club’s recent identity, gone in one window, without a penny of transfer fee recovered.
Between them, however, Salah, Robertson and Konate have saved an estimated £35 million per year in wages, freeing up significant headroom for Iraola and sporting director Richard Hughes to work with.
The backdrop to Iraola’s appointment is one of genuine turbulence.
Arne Slot, who arrived from Feyenoord with enormous fanfare just a year ago, was dismissed after Liverpool surrendered their Premier League title to Arsenal despite a £446 million spending spree the previous summer.
Iraola, keen to take on the challenge after parting company with Bournemouth, quickly agreed personal terms and is bringing key members of his backroom staff from the South Coast, including Pablo de la Torre, Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Tom Webber.
His high energy, pressing philosophy is precisely the style Fenway Sports Group wanted to see at Anfield after a season that felt sterile and passive under Slot.
The needs are extensive.
Right back is a pressing area, with last summer’s signing Jeremie Frimpong having failed to make the position his own, while there is uncertainty around Joe Gomez’s future.
Despite Konate’s departure, Liverpool do not consider a new centre back to be a priority, pointing to the £60 million arrival of Jeremy Jacquet and the return of teenager Giovanni Leoni, though their lack of Premier League experience could see that stance revisited later in the window.
Centre midfield also requires attention, as does the entire forward line.
So when does Liverpool’s business actually get done?
According to reporting by The Athletic, there is a clear and deliberate answer to that question.
Iraola wants time to assess his squad properly before committing to major signings.
There is an internal acceptance at Anfield that, with the 2026 World Cup disrupting pre season preparation across the board, the bulk of Liverpool’s transfer activity is more likely to happen in the second half of the window than the first.
“There’s an acceptance internally that, due to the World Cup and Andoni Iraola’s desire to assess the talent he’s inherited in the early stages of pre-season, business is more likely to happen later in the window this time around.”
The new head coach wants to see who is available, who returns in good shape and where the true gaps lie before pulling triggers in the market.
The summer transfer window runs until Tuesday September 1, closing at 11pm.
That gives Liverpool time to be methodical.
Hughes will lead recruitment talks alongside Fenway Sports Group CEO of football Michael Edwards, who returned to Anfield in a senior capacity after several years away and remains one of the most respected football operations figures in Europe.
Liverpool are not a club that moves in panic.
But this summer, with Iraola still finding his feet, the World Cup complicating timelines and the squad in need of serious reinforcement across multiple positions, patience will need to be carefully balanced with urgency.