Miguel Delaney, the chief football writer for the Independent, has shared an update on the three signings Liverpool are planning to make before the transfer window slams shut.
Earlier this week, Delaney shared a lengthy report about the situation the Reds are in. The club is aware that there is a lack of certain profiles within the squad that Andoni Iraola inherited from Arne Slot.
While Liverpool are likely to end the window with as many as six new signings, there is a sense within the club hierarchy that more work is needed on the squad than they can afford this summer.
That said, Delaney initially reported that “Iraola wants to bring in three attacking players before the end of the transfer window, including two who can operate in wide positions and one who could deputise for striker Alexander Isak.”
A post on Twitter drew attention to an issue with this line in Delaney’s report. He pointed out that the report has since been updated to reflect that Liverpool are planning to sign two new attackers and one more mystery signing for an unnamed position.
Hopefully this means Liverpool will sign Barcola, a right-winger, and a midfielder as this supposed mystery signing, because we all know that Iraola’s midfield is crying out for more attention.
Liverpool need to correct the imbalance in midfield before the window closes on Tuesday night
A key paragraph from Delaney’s report perfectly sums up the transfer situation at Anfield.
He wrote: “There are multiple areas to focus on, without that much money to spend. This is a strangely thin and lopsided squad. As one source says, “it’s like they’re in a boat with six different leaks but which one do you plug?” If they spend the available budget in one or two areas, they’re short in another.”
Between Liverpool’s expensive but overexuberant spending spree last summer and Arne Slot’s mismanagement of the squad he was granted, Iraola has walked into a mess of a squad.
Sure, there is an abundance of attacking quality at his command, but Liverpool also have several key profiles missing, particularly in midfield.
There isn’t a top right back in the squad, there isn’t a natural ball winner in midfield, and the lack of any deep-lying creative talents means that the Reds now rely on the power of their runners to almost brute force their way into the box. This is a valuable trait to have, but Premier League teams struggle against nuance as much as they do power and pace.