Arne Slot has sought to play down Liverpool’s need to reinforce their attack before the transfer window deadline if the club fail to sign Alexander Isak.
Liverpool sanctioned the sales of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz this summer and allowed youngster Ben Doak to join Bournemouth in a £25 million deal, and also lost Diogo Jota in tragic circumstances.
Hugo Ekitike joined and Florian Wirtz also adds versatility, while Rio Ngumoha has been earmarked for a more involved role this season.
With Mohamed Salah to leave for AFCON in December and January, Ngumoha still only 16 and Federico Chiesa coming off the back of a bit part campaign, the depth is questionable.
The club have been pursuing Isak and had a £110 million offer rejected at the start of the month, and now have only a week to broker a deal or move on to an alternate target.
Though, when asked by reporters, including the Guardian, if he was short on attacking depth, Slot said: “It depends how you want to look at it. If you see Florian Wirtz as an attacking option as well, you can make it five [forwards].
“Yes, we’ve sold Darwin, we’ve brought in Hugo, Lucho is gone, but maybe you can see Florian as his replacement.
“And, yes, we all know what happened to Diogo. If you look at it like this, maybe we haven’t (got enough) but Jeremie Frimpong, when he is fit, is definitely an option to play as a winger as well, so then we end up at six forwards.
“We have six players who can play in three positions.
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“I would consider Florian for more games in that (false nine) position. But there were games last season – City away and Aston Villa away – where we played with an extra midfielder like Curtis Jones.
“It depends not only on bringing in an extra midfielder but it depends on tactics, how they line up, all these kinds of things.
“He (Wirtz) is already an option to play as a left winger and he can be an option for the upcoming game. Cody played a good game against Bournemouth as well.”
Virgil van Dijk does not quite agree
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Friday, August 15, 2025: Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike (L) and captain Virgil van Dijk after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The season is long and Virgil van Dijk knows more than most the value of having depth, and he underlined as much when speaking after the Community Shield earlier this month.
Speaking to reporters after the shootout, it was posed to Van Dijk that Liverpool “have so many attacking options now,” to which he interrupted: “Do we?”
He said: “Well, we just lost Darwin, he went to Saudi and we lost Lucho, he obviously went to Bayern.
“I think there’s always room for an attacker in order to strengthen us, so let’s see what the window brings.”
Despite his desire to play down the need for further reinforcements in attack, which is normal behaviour for a head coach, Slot has maintained throughout the summer that the club will not hesitate to act if a suitable player becomes available.