Liverpool, as Premier League champion, was starting from a position of strength. Arne Slot's side knew well in advance of the season coming to a close that it was going to win the title, and planning for a big summer had long begun.
Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk were tied down to new two-year contract extensions. Trent Alexander-Arnold has gone, but Jeremie Frimpong has come in. Florian Wirtz could be the statement signing of the entire window, while Milos Kerkez would be a brilliant capture at left-back.
The plan to add further quality on top of an already stacked roster of players is coming together, and early in the summer too. There will be plenty of time to bed in new signings and spend some proper time on the training field during a proper pre-season.
Speaking this week — reaffirming that he is content at Anfield, but not ruling out an exit either — Federico Chiesa summed it up quite nicely. Already struggling to establish himself in the team regularly, it won't be any easier on the other side of the transfer window.
Chiesa, of course, had Salah as competition down the right flank, which severely stunted his opportunities. And when it was put to him by Corriere dello Sport yesterday that he could have switched to the left in a bid to get minutes, as he pointed out, "There were Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo."
"Slot also made me play as a nine," Chiesa said. "It was Max [Allegri, then the Juventus coach] who changed my position, suggesting that I move to a second striker to score more, and I scored my goals."
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during the final training session of the 2024/25 season.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during the final training session of the 2024/25 season. (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Through the center for Liverpool, too, though, Diaz was deployed at times. And Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez were there for competition as well, often preferred on the bench, with Chiesa frequently left out of matchday squads altogether.
With Wirtz seemingly on the way from Bayer Leverkusen and the potential for more recruits in the forward line even beyond that, the increased competition for places in the attacking department is not exactly going to make things easier.
But as well as highlighting that it will be even harder for Chiesa to get minutes at Anfield next season, it also goes to show what the plan is across the team: to have two quality options in each position.
From front to back, that is already shaping up to be the case. Alisson Becker will be backed up by Giorgi Mamardashvili, for instance, while Frimpong and Conor Bradley can vie for the right-back berth.
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On the other side of the defense, Kerkez could find himself alongside Andy Robertson, and Gakpo and Diaz have already shown the benefits of having proper competition on the left wing. They scored 35 times between them last season — their most prolific campaigns at Anfield.
Salah is an exception in that he is so good (as is Van Dijk), but in most areas of the pitch, it makes sense to have multiple players. As well as pushing each other on, they can also offer rotation to keep everyone fresh and free of injury.
Adding quality with the likes of Wirtz means that the competition for places will only continue to increase. The knock-on impact will be that those whose spot in the team is less secure will have to kick on and reach another level.
For those on the fringes, like Chiesa, it might not be good news; Harvey Elliott is another who might have to consider his options. When it comes to Liverpool's chances of success next season, though, it can only mean one thing: the Reds were already the top team in the country, but they are quickly shaping up to get even better.