Arne Slot will take the fall for Liverpool's demise at the end of the season, but this is a deep and dark hole that the Premier League champions have fallen into, and the head coach is not the only one at fault.
Far from it. Slot has had to combat the staggering drop-off of Mohamed Salah, with the two Redmen airing dirty laundry in public view in December, an illustration of Liverpool's mounting problems.
Other wheels have careered off this skidding train. Injuries have plagued the Anfield side from the get-go, and Hugo Ekitike's ruptured Achilles, suffered this week as Liverpool were dumped from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain (again) hammered that point home. The prolific striker would do well to play again in 2026, and returning to pre-injury levels will be an even tougher trek.
Liverpool's Top Scorers (2025/26)
Player
Hugo Ekitike
Dominik Szoboszlai
Mohamed Salah
Cody Gakpo
Florian Wirtz
Various factors have moderated Liverpool's plight, but the plain truth of it is that Slot's side have been unacceptably poor, and now, FSG are going to need to ring the changes in the summer transfer market, with Alexis Mac Allister among the most likely to depart.
FSG now looking to replace Mac Allister at Liverpool
Mac Allister has fallen by the wayside this season. The midfielder's collapse serves as a microcosm of Liverpool's wider struggle, but there's no question that he's among the biggest fall-offs of the season.
Salah, in fairness, is nearly 34, but Mac Allister is ostensibly in the prime of his career and he has plummeted across athletic and technical levels. This is not the player that Reds supporters have come to adore.
Alexis Mac Allister's Premier League Decline
Stats (* per 90)
Matches (starts)
Goals + Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Big chances created
Key passes*
Possession lost*
Succ. dribbles*
Ball recoveries*
Tackles + interceptions*
Clearances*
Duels won*
Given the potential scale of Liverpool's latest rebuild, it's probably the right time for the 27-year-old to leave. This summer, he will enter the penultimate year of his contract, and FSG could still fetch a healthy sum for his signature.
Selling him would be a risk, but according to the Daily Mail, Liverpool already have their sights trained on Tottenham star Archie Gray, ready to launch an official bid if the Londoners fall into the Championship.
Archie-Gray-Spurs
Bayern Munich are also interested in the 20-year-old, who has stood out against the backdrop of such misery down N17 this season, but Liverpool could do with his fight and grit and natural talent right now, and must throw the kitchen sink at a deal this summer.
A figure has not been mooted, but previous reports outline a £70m price tag for the young Englishman. For their part, Spurs don't want to sell, planning to keep a grip on their shining light even if their relegation fears are realised.
Why Gray would be an upgrade on Mac Allister for Liverpool
Liverpool chiefs have a lot on their plate ahead of the summer transfer window, but signing Gray would be the perfect way to combat this slump, signing one for the future who can play an immediate role in the rebuild.
Gray has the admiration of his Tottenham teammates, playing with a maturity and quality that has escaped the lion's share of that squad. He has actually been described as "a young Declan Rice" by The Athletic's Duncan Alexander, boasting versatility and dynamism and suggestive of a future at the very top of the English and European game.
Naturally a centre-midfielder, Gray has been found all over the park, creative on the ball and energised to a degree that most his teammates have been unable to match. He has excelled across offensive and defensive scenarios, with a robust roundedness that has certainly escaped Mac Allister.
Next year, Liverpool cannot afford a repeat of this wobbly campaign. In that, they have to improve, however, any adversity that they may encounter will be dealt with by Gray, should he arrive. He has outstripped his Spurs teammates, and probably Liverpool's midfielders too (barring the brilliant Dominik Szoboszlai).
Liverpool's midfield have failed this season, and something needs to give. It stands to reason that Mac Allister, one of the most profitable and disappointing players in the squad, should be let go.
It's worth noting that there is interest in the Argentina star's signature. He has proven his worth over the past several years, and, aged 27, clubs in Spain or Italy may feel that he could bounce right back to elite levels.
Liverpool need another rebuild, and while there is more than one way to skin a cat, Mac Allister might be the most prudent sale that FSG could make, with Salah and Andy Robertson already leaving on free transfers.
Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister during training
Ekitike's injury means the current attacking crop needs to stay, and by signing a rising superstar like Gray, Liverpool could perfectly offset Mac Allister's departure and return to the ascendancy next season.
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