This is the thing I can’t quite get my head around.
Liverpool have spent around £400m on attacking players over the last couple of transfer windows.
Alexander Isak.
Florian Wirtz.
Hugo Ekitike.
Bradley Barcola.
And yet, when Liverpool walk onto the pitch, I’m still not completely convinced where the goals are going to come from.
That sounds ridiculous when you look at the names. It probably is.
But I’m being honest: I’m still worried about Liverpool scoring enough goals.
The money isn’t the problem
Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t think Liverpool have bought bad players.
Quite the opposite.
Isak is one of the best strikers in the Premier League. Wirtz was one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in European football before moving to Anfield. Ekitike showed enough last season to convince Liverpool to spend heavily on him, while Barcola has the pace and directness to cause defenders serious problems.
Liverpool’s squad list officially includes all four, alongside Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha and Víctor Muñoz.
So this isn’t a failure to invest. Liverpool have invested massively.
Opta Analyst estimated that the club spent around £200m on Isak and Ekitike alone, while other analysis has put Liverpool’s attacking spending at more than £400m across the wider recruitment programme.
That is why the question feels so uncomfortable.
Why doesn’t the attack feel more dangerous?
Isak is doing his bit
I’m certainly not blaming Alexander Isak.
He has scored four Premier League goals in his first five appearances, which is an excellent return. The Premier League’s statistics currently list him second in the early 2026/27 goalscoring charts, behind only Erling Haaland.
His goal at Bournemouth showed exactly why Liverpool wanted him. Gakpo did the hard work, Wirtz helped move the attack forward and Isak finished it.
One chance. One goal. Three points.
But that moment also highlighted the wider concern. Liverpool cannot keep relying on one piece of individual quality to get them through games.
Against Bournemouth, the Reds managed only six shots and created very little for long periods. Reuters described it as another match in which Liverpool’s attacking players struggled to gel.
That is not what you expect from a team with this much attacking talent.
Wirtz has to become more influential
This is probably the biggest question of all.
I’m not giving up on Florian Wirtz. Not remotely. But I do want more from him.
Liverpool spent heavily to bring him to Anfield because they believed he could become one of the most influential attacking players in Europe. So far, we have seen flashes rather than sustained control of matches.
That is frustrating because the ability is obvious.
Wirtz finds clever positions, turns away from defenders, plays the final pass and creates opportunities from nothing. Yet too often, Liverpool’s attacks seem to pass around him rather than through him.
That is something Iraola needs to solve.
If Wirtz starts consistently producing the performances Liverpool know he is capable of, the entire attack could look different. He has the quality to connect the midfield and forward line, but Liverpool need to make him central to the way they attack.
Gakpo is one of the positives
Cody Gakpo is probably the attacker I’m most encouraged by.
He has shown that he can contribute even when he isn’t scoring. Liverpool’s official statistics currently give him three goals and five assists in eight appearances in all competitions.
That is an excellent contribution.
His involvement in Isak’s Bournemouth goal was another example of what he can offer. He drove forward, caused problems and helped create the opening.
That is what Liverpool’s attack looks like when its players are aggressive: dangerous.
The problem is that those moments are not happening often enough or lasting long enough. Gakpo is providing a reliable outlet, but Liverpool need more of the team to match his level of involvement.
Maybe the problem is the system
This is where I keep coming back to Andoni Iraola.
I’m still patient with him, and I like what he is trying to do. Liverpool are becoming more aggressive and, defensively, things are beginning to look much better.
The attack, however, has not clicked.
When a team has this much individual quality, it is fair to ask whether the system is getting the best from its players.
Isak needs service. Wirtz needs freedom. Barcola needs space to attack. Gakpo needs to remain involved. The midfield must also move the ball into dangerous areas quickly enough for those players to hurt opponents.
At the moment, Liverpool have too many spells of possession without creating a genuine sense of danger. They can control the ball without controlling the game.
That is what worries me. The issue is not a lack of talent; it is the lack of a consistent attacking structure that allows that talent to combine.
The potential is ridiculous
This is what stops me from becoming overly negative.
Imagine this attack finally clicking.
Isak leading the line. Gakpo attacking from one side. Barcola running at defenders from the other. Wirtz finding pockets of space behind them.
Then you have Szoboszlai, Mac Allister or Gravenberch supplying them.
That is serious attacking talent.
I don’t think Liverpool need another £100m forward. I don’t think the answer is necessarily another signing. They have already spent enough.
Now Iraola has to make the pieces fit.
That is probably the biggest challenge facing him: not finding more quality, but creating the conditions in which the quality already at the club can work together.
Because £400m should buy you goals
That is the uncomfortable truth.
You can talk about patience, new players adapting, injuries and the demands of working under a new manager. All of those factors are legitimate.
But eventually Liverpool have to start looking like a team capable of scoring regularly.
The money has been spent. The talent is there. The supporters are waiting.
And I’m one of them.
I don’t want Liverpool to become a team that wins 1-0 every week because the defence keeps everybody out. I’ll happily take the points, obviously, but with these attacking players, I want to see some bloody goals.
I want to see Isak getting chances. I want Wirtz running games. I want Barcola frightening full-backs. I want Gakpo continuing to be one of our most productive players.
Most of all, I want Iraola to find a way of getting them to work together.
Liverpool haven’t spent £400m on attackers to become a team that scrapes narrow victories.
We’ve bought the players to blow teams away.
I’m still waiting to see it.
And that is why, despite all the money and all the talent, I’m still worried about where Liverpool’s goals are coming from.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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