This has been as difficult a season as anyone can remember for Liverpool, whose title-winning expectations have been stripped away across the course of the year, improvements simply not materialising.
Arne Slot has felt the pressure all right, but for the first time in many months, it feels like the jury have started to split, with FSG's backing of their under-fire head coach suggesting that he will attempt to lead the Reds toward resurgence next year.
Slot has not helped himself, but neither has he been assisted by good fortunes on the injury front, with Hugo Ekitike the latest to fall. The prolific centre-forward is unlikely to return before the end of the calendar year after rupturing his Achilles against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield.
Liverpool's Top Scorers (2025/26)
Player
Hugo Ekitike
Mohamed Salah
Dominik Szoboszlai
Cody Gakpo
Florian Wirtz
Alexander Isak hasn't exactly been great this season, and Liverpool are going to need more options, especially with Mohamed Salah leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Liverpool confident they can sign the new Salah
Liverpool are expected to continue with Slot at the helm, and while that will split opinion, it does mean a picture of the forthcoming transfer window will start taking shape.
Salah and Slot's December fallout was well-documented, and it appears to be the coach who will come out on top, leading Liverpool forward next season.
He will need to work with sporting director Richard Hughes to secure for the Reds a new right winger, though, and while a range of names have been bandied about, there's one in particular which could be a real hit for the falling Premier League champions.
According to Anfield Watch, Liverpool are growing in confidence that they might sign Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, with the £86m-rated winger not starting every week for Luis Enrique's imperious outfit.
bradley-barcola-psg
Arsenal are also among the 23-year-old's admirers, but Liverpool's need for attacking additions is strong, and Barcola could be convinced to replace Salah as the club's new focal winger.
Why Barcola could be Liverpool's new Salah
Barcola is not Salah, but his dynamic attacking play could help replace Salah's output at Liverpool while providing Slot with a creative and athletic force to pump energy back into the side's build-up play.
Described as "one of the best wingers in the world" by analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson, Barcola might not be in the finest form for PSG this season, but he's still catching the eye, having posted 12 goals and seven assists in all competitions.
A unique winger, the 6 foot winger is lean and powerful, endowed with an agility and spring in his step that has outfoxed so many defenders.
Bradley Barcola's Career Stats by Position
Position
Left winger
Right winger
Centre-forward
Typically found on the left wing, his versatility has allowed him to forage for contributions across the frontline, something that Slot values from his forwards. Last season, for example, Luis Diaz operated as a makeshift centre-forward on numerous occasions.
But Barcola could actually emerge as the Merseyside club's new version of Salah, who has carried Liverpool forward across so many seasons.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah reacts
The France international, for example, has excelled as a clinical force in Ligue 1 this term, scoring ten goals across only 23 matches. It's curious that he has only registered one assist, having created ten big chances across the year.
He is also improving by the year. Take his dribbling ability, for example. Barcola is one of the most exciting ball carriers in the world, but he was profligate when on the ball last season, completing only 28% of his attempts in Ligue 1.
That has risen to 43% this year, with his physical maturity enabling him to play with more sureness in the danger area.
This is a player who has done it on the biggest stage and who has thrived when pitted against English opponents (such as Liverpool, sadly).
There's certainly something Salah-esque about Barcola, and given that his prime years are still ahead of him, this might just be the perfect signing to spearhead the next illustrious era down Anfield Road.
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