Liverpool have to seriously get this window right if they’re going to make amends for the previous dismal campaign and get new boss Andoni Iraola off to a solid start.
There is a certain amount of pressure on the shoulders of Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards right now. They may have tasked Iraola with coming in and reminding Liverpool exactly who they are, but the Spanish coach has a very particular way of playing.
It’s exciting, frenetic and well regarded. Liverpool want it, but it doesn’t come out of thin air. Iraola will inherit some of the best players on the planet when he takes to his first day as Reds manager, but buying profiles who fit his intended vision is now a crucial task.
We take a look at the type of weapons Liverpool need to restock the armoury with this summer, and which specific players may fit the bill.
Right-back is vital
LONDON, ENGLAND - Thursday, January 8, 2026: Liverpool's Conor Bradley receives treatment during the FA Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at the Emirates Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LONDON, ENGLAND - Thursday, January 8, 2026: Liverpool's Conor Bradley receives treatment during the FA Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at the Emirates Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Liverpool need defensive reinforcements on the right flank and it’s non-negotiable. Last season was tall evidence enough, with nasty and persistent injuries to Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong badly hampering the campaign.
In truth, Liverpool haven’t yet had a period to determine what the right-back position even looks like following the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Last season, each of Joe Gomez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo put in shifts there.
While Gomez may yet remain at Anfield for another season, it has long been established that depending on him as a ready and waiting full-back is erring on the side of foolishness.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, March 15, 2026: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong applauds the supporters after being substituted off during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, March 15, 2026: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong applauds the supporters after being substituted off during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It is uncertain the extent to which Bradley will recover from his multi-layered knee injury, while the jury remains out regarding whether Frimpong will excel under the high-octane demands of the new manager.
Liverpool require a right-back who is both comfortable on the ball and highly dynamic out of possession, not afraid to launch themselves beyond the opposition defensive line, while being covered by the aggressive work rate of a tireless midfield unit.
Potential options: Michael Kayode (Brentford), Marco Palestra (Atalanta)
Central defence needs bolstering
3BA119J Jeremy JACQUET of Rennes during the French championship Ligue 1 football match between Stade Rennais and OGC Nice on 10 May 2025 at Roazhon Park in Rennes, France
3BA119J Jeremy JACQUET of Rennes during the French championship Ligue 1 football match between Stade Rennais and OGC Nice on 10 May 2025 at Roazhon Park in Rennes, France
Liverpool will soon be blessed by the return to full fitness of exciting prodigy Giovanni Leoni, who more than dazzled on his debut against Southampton.
Much hype surrounds the young Italian but patience is required. The combination of a severe injury and the demands of still needing to adapt to English football is a brutal one.
Jeremy Jacquet’s £50 million arrival is set to attract major eyeballs, particularly in the aftermath of Ibrahima Konate‘s messy departure.
Thereafter, Liverpool are looking bare.
Gomez provides standby cover as ever, but alternatives are few and far between. Given Virgil van Dijk played every single game last season and could go deep into the World Cup with the Netherlands, it’s of great concern.
Indeed, the Reds are hypothetically only one Van Dijk injury away from starting the campaign with Jacquet and Gomez as centre-back partners, and that is assuming the latter will definitely stay.
Potential options: Jarrell Quansah (Leverkusen), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Joel Ordonez (Club Brugge)
Outside shout: Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)
A combative midfielder
Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi against Brazil during the World Cup Group C soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi against Brazil during the World Cup Group C soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Liverpool need bodies adding to the engine room of the team, that much is lost on nobody. With the futures of Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones uncertain, and Dominik Szoboszlai yet to sign a fresh long-term contract, doubts are in the air.
If Iraola proved anything at Bournemouth, it’s that his team need a dynamic and robust profile in the midfield to keep things turning over. On the south coast, Tyler Adams was very much that man.
Should Liverpool set up next season with Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch in the middle of the park, it makes all the sense in the world to have a combative and a more no-nonsense type of footballer alongside them, in order to emphasise their individual qualities.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 9, 2026: Liverpool's goalscorer Ryan Gravenberch during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 9, 2026: Liverpool's goalscorer Ryan Gravenberch during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Right now, all eyes of world football happen to be on a very promising youngster in the Moroccan national team who, even at just 18 years old, is handing out powerful tackles left, right and centre, while also driving with the ball on a consistent basis.
Ayyoub Bouaddi has blazed onto the scene and Liverpool are right to be taking note.
Potential options: Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille), Pablo Barrios (Atletico Madrid), Chema Andres (Stuttgart)
Outside shout: Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid)
A deep-lying, line-breaking midfielder to set the tempo
LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 27, 2025: Crystal Palace's Adam c during the FA Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park. Crystal Palace won 2-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 27, 2025: Crystal Palace's Adam c during the FA Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park. Crystal Palace won 2-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Perhaps out of all the areas Liverpool need to reinforce, this is the most underrated. Last season, we observed the sheer inability of the team to get possession moving through the lines on a painful, weekly basis.
As opponents met Liverpool and set up in a rigid low block, the Reds simply couldn’t get through. This, worryingly, came even after the introduction of Florian Wirtz.
What Liverpool are crying out for is a midfielder who can grasp possession and immediately fizz it into the feet of Wirtz in the No. 10 zone.
It’s a sacred area of the pitch which defenders hate and, within this plot of grass, the magic can happen.
An outstandingly obvious candidate for this position is Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.
The former Blackburn man has been making steady progress at Selhurst Park and boasts one full highlight reel after another of slicing passes through opponents without so much as a second glance.
Potential options: Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Kevin Danois (Auxerre), Leon Avdullahu (Hoffenheim)
Outside shout: Carlos Baleba (Brighton)
A versatile forward to complete the attack
3D2K26M Leipzig, Germany. 01st Nov, 2025. Soccer: Bundesliga, RB Leipzig - VfB Stuttgart, Matchday 9, Red Bull Arena. Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig) reacts after the 1:0. Credit: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa - IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the DFL German Football League and the DFB German Football Association, it is prohibited to utilize or have utilized photographs taken in the stadium and/or of the match in the form of sequential images and/or video-like photo series./dpa/Alamy Live News
3D2K26M Leipzig, Germany. 01st Nov, 2025. Soccer: Bundesliga, RB Leipzig - VfB Stuttgart, Matchday 9, Red Bull Arena. Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig) reacts after the 1:0. Credit: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa - IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the DFL German Football League and the DFB German Football Association, it is prohibited to utilize or have utilized photographs taken in the stadium and/or of the match in the form of sequential images and/or video-like photo series./dpa/Alamy Live News
The ongoing pursuit of Yan Diomande is the worst-kept secret in football. Liverpool have had to go big given the insane hype around the teenager.
Signing the RB Leipzig diamond would go so, so far to ease Liverpool’s concerns around the attacking line, particularly following the signing of Victor Munoz.
The interest in Bradley Barcola also makes heaps of sense, particularly given PSG will need to sell should Diomande choose Paris as his next place of work.
With Alexander Isak hopefully back to his elite-level best, having multi-functional options around him will be vital.
New boss Iraola will also insist upon the trait of an intense work rate being a prerequisite.
Potential options: Yan Diomande (Leipzig), Bradley Barcola (PSG), Yankuba Minteh (Brighton), Said El Mala (FC Koln)
Outside shout: Rodrygo (Real Madrid)