Liverpool Set for Major Summer Overhaul as Arne Slot Eyes Wirtz, Frimpong, and New No. 9 | OneFootball

Last summer was a transitional window for Liverpool, with Jürgen Klopp departing his post after a legendary nine years in charge and Arne Slot taking the reins as the club’s new manager. However, as far as transfers go, it was a muted few months for the Reds, who didn’t lose any key players apart from backup defender Joël Matip, who retired. They only signed two players as well – Giorgi Mamardashvili was signed before being loaned back to Valencia, whilst Federico Chiesa also joined, only to feature sparingly this season.

This time around, however, all signs point to Liverpool undergoing a massive squad overhaul. Let’s take an early look at Liverpool’s transfer business.

Goalkeeper

As one of the greatest goalkeepers of his era, Alisson Becker will remain the starter in goal for the foreseeable future. However, it remains to be seen what his competition will be. After delivering a run of impressive performances in Alisson’s absence, Caoimhin Kelleher could be inclined to depart Anfield and find a club where he can be the starter. It is clear that one of Kelleher or Mamardashvili would have to leave on a permanent deal, whilst Vítězslav Jaroš looks set to continue as the club’s third-choice shot-stopper.

Liverpool were fortunate that the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal dropped off in their form this season – they may not be as lucky next season. In order to ensure that the Reds successfully defend their domestic crown for the first time in 42 years, a transfer spree is required. Nonetheless, goalkeeper is just about the only position where big-money transfers are not necessary.

Defense

Whilst Liverpool have managed to tie Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah down to new contracts, the same cannot be said about Trent Alexander-Arnold, who will depart on a free transfer. They have already identified his replacement with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong set to join for £29.5 million, whilst another fullback signing is imminent. Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez has been eyed as a potential replacement for Andrew Robertson, who, at 31, looks to be past his prime. It is expected that £45m will be enough to sign the Hungarian left back, whilst a centre back signing could be in order as well. Having missed out on Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid, the Reds will be keen to reinforce the middle of defence and provide quality depth behind Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté.

Midfield

Despite having the Premier League title wrapped up for several months, there’s no doubt a feeling of regret surrounding Liverpool’s season, having fallen to Newcastle in the EFL Cup Final and Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup. Having finished with the best record in the entire league phase, Liverpool were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 as a Paris Saint-Germain midfield of Vitinha, João Neves, and Fabián Ruiz ran rampant. There is the sense that, whilst Liverpool certainly have a number of stellar midfielders like Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, more creativity and technical ability is required in order to push for more silverware. It’s why Liverpool currently find themselves in a tug-of-war for one of the best young players in Europe: Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. If the Reds do end up beating Bayern Munich to the signing of Wirtz, it would be a massive coup and surely a club-record expenditure, but it could also potentially come at a cost of other transfer business. In this case, however, it might be better to go for quality over quantity.

Attack

If Liverpool end up missing out on Wirtz, it will likely be due to the fact that they need to reinforce in other areas of the pitch. As much as Salah has delivered a season for the ages, he has been head and shoulders above any other attacker. Liverpool fans have grown weary of seeing Luis Díaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez spurn Salah’s potential assists, and as such, a makeover in the final third is expected. Neither Jota nor Nuñez have managed to fill Roberto Firmino’s void as their starting centre forward, and it’s likely that they will be aiming to add a starting left winger like Bryan Mbuemo or Antoine Semenyo in addition to a top-tier centre forward. The only question is: Do they splurge on a veteran striker in the prime of his career like Victor Osimhen or Serhou Guirassy, or do they take a gamble on a younger profile like Hugo Ekitiké or Benjamin Šeško?

Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure: this promises to be a busy three months at Melwood for Arne Slot and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes.