LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Richard Hughes, sporting director at Liverpool fc during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on October 04, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Liverpool kicked off the 2026-27 season on Sunday against Newcastle with a squad that had both less depth and less talent than the one that slumped through the 2025-26 season. And Liverpool kicked off the 2025-26 season with a squad that had both less depth and less talent than the one that won the title in 2024-25.
That title winning squad was gifted to returning recruitment guru Michael Edwards and hand picked sporting director Richard Hughes by the departing Jürgen Klopp, who largely rebuilt the club’s midfield after Edwards’ initial departure. The consensus at the time was it was a squad that might need tweaks and to find replacements for aging stars but that wouldn’t need a complete rebuild to stay on top.
It is a squad very much now not on top. Edwards is departing the club with Fenway Sports Group’s plans to chase the multi-club model having fallen through. Hughes is set to follow him by popping the parachute to take a Saudi payday when the transfer window closes.
Before they depart, fans—and, one imagines, new head coach Andoni Iraola—are hoping they might, here in year three of their so-far ruinous tenure, show at a minimum of professional care and try to fix some of their mistakes. For those hoping that might include signing a midfielder, especially following the departure of Curtis Jones, there appears likely to be a disappointing ending.
That’s because The Telegraph’s Chris Bascombe has today reiterated that the club’s stance from the start of the summer transfer window, a stance that midfield reinforcements weren’t needed, remains. Despite the departure of Jones and Sunday’s match against Newcastle providing yet more proof this side is unbalanced in midfield and lacks any kind of defensive steel, there will not be signings.
The kindest reading of that is that midfield probably isn’t the biggest issue this squad has. Because the biggest issue is that a side that last season looked well short on the wing with Hughes deciding to sell Luis Diaz and not to replace him and that then saw Hughes push Mohamed Salah out really needs attacking quality on the flanks.
Also there’s the small matter of right back being a choice between an undersized player with defensive question marks and a model Premier League right back who can’t stay fit. So that’s a pretty big issue, too. Oh, and Hugo Ekitie is out until the new year sothere’s only Alexander Isak at striker and he spent much of last season injured and has yet to really impress in Red.
Put in that context, maybe it’s fair that they aren’t actively trying to fix midfield right now, too.
Though the idea that Liverpool have so many squad composition problems in year three of Edwards and Hughes given what they were given to start with and the funds they’ve been allowed to spend is frankly preposterous, and there seems a solid case bringing Edwards back was the biggest footballing mistake FSG have ever made as club owners.