We asked for your burning questions on the goings on at Anfield and our Chief Liverpool Correspondent Ian Doyle has provided the answers
Harvey Elliott of Liverpool at AXA Training Centre on July 9 2026 in Kirkby
Harvey Elliott of Liverpool at AXA Training Centre on July 9 2026 in Kirkby(Image: Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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The countdown is now on. With new head coach Andoni Iraola having already started at the AXA Training Centre and a number of players already returned for preparatory work ahead of Tuesday's official start of pre-season, thoughts are now firmly turning to the opening of the Premier League campaign for Liverpool.
Of course, there is plenty to be done in the transfer market with the Reds having seen long-time squad members Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all walk away for nothing at the end of last season. And that's before consideration is given to which other players may also leave.
We have been asking for your questions on the current state of play at Anfield, and here we take a punt at providing some answers...
Brownm0435 asks: Why are Liverpool being so slow in the transfer window? You'd think with a big gap like Mohamed Salah to fill they'd be moving fast to sort it. Our small squad is very worrying.
I've expressed many times over the last two years my concerns over the size of Liverpool's squad. Compare the current personnel to the squads of 2018-2022, and there is a marked difference both in terms of experienced cover and the amount of players coming through the Academy capable of featuring in the first team.
World Cup and European Championships years often lead to slow transfer windows while the tournament is ongoing, with matters complicated further by Liverpool changing their head coach with previous plans no doubt either being put on hold, reassessed or scrapped entirely.
Obviously, with the signing of Victor Munoz and the failed attempt to bring in Yan Diomande, it's not as though Liverpool haven't been doing anything. And there are still seven weeks of the transfer window remaining.
But it is frustrating that Andoni Iraola will begin pre-season in the knowledge his squad may look considerably different come September 1.
Tom Reading asks: I know Liverpool typically operate in silence, but it looks to be the case even more this year. Do you think this is because of how the Yan Diomande saga/rejection was made so public, or because simply there is not much going on behind the scenes?
I'm not sure it makes any difference whether or not a transfer pursuit is made public. If a club wants a player sufficiently they will continue their interest, as was the case with Alexander Isak and to a lesser extent Florian Wirtz last summer.
Just because no moves - either in or out - are being completed, it doesn't mean Liverpool and their recruitment team aren't working behind the scenes. The problem is clearly they had a plan to go all in on Diomande having been given encouragement the player would want to come, only for him to then choose Paris Saint-Germain as his preferred next destination.
That has meant Liverpool having to regroup regards a new winger. And the uncertainty over the futures over a number of current squad members will have to be resolved before other positions are properly addressed.
TS_talkslfc asks: Who is best option out of Barcola, Fernandez-Pardo or El Mala and is more than one winger signing likely?
Well, having never knowingly watched Matias Fernandez-Pardo or Said El Mala in action, I would have to say by default that Bradley Barcola would represent the best option. But he would cost a lot of money and PSG aren't massively keen on selling him, so that looks like a somewhat difficult deal to complete before Liverpool get to the task of persuading the France international to come.
Liverpool already have one new winger in Munoz, so it seems unlikely they'd add another two. Personally, I'd want a versatile forward who could play up top and ease the burden on Alexander Isak, because it's unlikely Hugo Ekitike will be seen this year and probably won't be at his best again until next season.
Andros1912 asks: In a transfer window where every English homegrown midfielder costs more than £70m, why let Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott leave for cheap or as free agents next summer? Why don't Liverpool offer a new contract to them? What's the plan behind this or is it just a miss from board?
This is a great point. The arrival of Iraola as head coach has potentially changed the landscape for both players, particularly Elliott who appeared to have long played his last match for Liverpool until his permanent move to Aston Villa failed to materialise in somewhat unfortunate fashion.
However, both are out of contract in less than 12 months, so from a financial point of view the Reds need to find out quickly what Iraola has planned in case the duo need to be moved on more readily than at present. Jones has already attracted interest from Inter Milan although the Serie A side don't want to meet his valuation of in excess of £30m.
That they are both nearing the ends of their deals means they won't cost as much as they otherwise would have done. And unlike a lot of players who are due to be out of contract at the end of this season - Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas among them - Jones and Elliott are still to reach their prime as players.
Also, both are homegrown, which is an important factor of which Liverpool will surely be mindful. The Reds couldn't have envisaged Elliott's difficulties at Villa, but it's clear they have left themselves in a difficult situation with the pair.
J asks: Which youth players do you think will make a play for the first-team squad this season out of the current batch?
Tough one. Most of the Academy players who could make that breakthrough have already featured for the senior side, such as Kieran Morrison, Jayden Danns and of course Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha, who are both regarded as first-team options.
Perhaps those bubbling under would include players who made the bench towards the end of last season such as striker Will Wright and centre-back Mor Talla Ndiaye. It'll also be interesting to see how long it takes before another new defender, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, is knocking on the door. The League Cup third-round tie in September represents a first real opportunity for the youngsters.
Adam_s1983 asks: If we don’t sign another centre-back in the summer, what is the pecking order to partner Virgil van Dijk at the back?
The lack of experience in English football of both Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, not to mention the fact they are recovering from injuries, would suggest Joe Gomez is the favourite at present to start the season at Newcastle United.
But you don't spend £60m on a youngster to keep him on the bench, and Jacquet will surely soon assume his place as next in line behind Van Dijk, with perhaps Leoni third and Gomez fourth.