Mohamed Salah of Liverpool reacts during the warm up prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park (Le...
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool reacts during the warm up prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park (Le...
Liverpool have enacted wholesale changes on the 2024/25 title-winning squad in what is proving to be the biggest transfer window in the club’s history.
The Reds have spent approximately £293 million revamping their squad this summer, surpassing their previous highest spend of £161 million in 2018.
Of course, the majority of the expenditure was designated to Florian Wirtz’s British transfer record arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.
His former Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong has impressed alongside Hugo Ekitike, who has scored in all three of his competitive appearances for the Reds thus far.
Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike celebrates scoring against Newcastle United
Photo by Harriet Massey/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Although Liverpool have been frivolous in their spending, Richard Hughes has managed to recoup around £190 million in player sales.
However, there is one Reds player who faced an uncertain future heading into the summer, and his teammate, Mohamed Salah, will be delighted as Arne Slot reveals his transfer stance.
Stefan Bajcetic will remain at Liverpool this season
According to journalist Paul Joyce, Slot has decided that Stefan Bajcetic will remain at the Reds this season, in the hopes that the midfielder can build on the impressive displays he showed during his loan spell at Las Palmas.
The 20-year-old has become somewhat of a forgotten figure on Merseyside – he missed almost the entirety of Jurgen Klopp’s final season through injury and endured a difficult loan at RB Salzburg, which was ultimately cut short.
However, Bajcetic impressed Liverpool fans with his performances away from Anfield throughout the second half of the season, as he rediscovered his form in Spain despite not being able to help Las Palmas escape relegation from La Liga.
Furthermore, Bajcetic has been likened to Sergio Busquets, and now he will be granted the opportunity to compete alongside Ryan Gravenberch for a starting berth at the anchor of the midfield three.
This news will be music to Salah’s ears; he heaped praise on the youngster after a dominant outing during the 2-0 win against Everton in 2023.
“Since Stefan started playing with us, he’s been our best player,” Salah said to Sky Sports. “It’s a huge win. It’s huge for us. It’s been a perfect week to train – we were all so excited. Hopefully, that is the start.”
How did Stefan Bajcetic perform at Las Palmas?
Indeed, Bajcetic has a long way to go in his development before he can mount a true challenge to Gravenberch’s starting spot, but he is certainly more than capable of deputising for the Dutchman.
At one stage, it had looked like the Spaniard would, in fact, be the successor to Fabinho at Anfield, and there is no telling whether he will recapture the form shown during his breakout campaign.
Stefan Bajcetic Stats (Las Palmas) Total
Appearances 14
Goals 1
Pass Accuracy 73%
Ground Duels won 51%
Aerial Duels won 57%
Ball Recoveries (per match) 4.4
Tackles (per match) 2.1
However, performing to such a high standard in a top-five European league is not something to be overlooked – Bajcetic was a standout performer in a struggling Las Palmas side.
There will be plenty of opportunities to impress as Liverpool aim to compete across all fronts this season; all Bajcetic has to do is grasp whatever chances come his way with both hands.