The title may have slipped away from Liverpool but Sunday’s 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur certainly lifted the mood at Anfield ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s departure.
Klopp’s Liverpool reign is down to its final two matches, an away trip to Aston Villa next Monday before they host Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day – Sunday 19 May.
Bar an expected collapse from both Arsenal and Manchester City, it will not be the party Liverpool dreamed of as recently as last month, but a final flurry could result in Klopp leaving a wave of optimism among supporters who are naturally dreading a fall akin to Manchester United’s after Sir Alex Ferguson.
It is no easy task for the new man coming on, with Arne Slot expected to take the baton from Klopp. Liverpool have agreed a deal with Feyenoord, where the Dutchman addressed his departure on Sunday, saying: “I’m not worried at all about whether it will go ahead, the question is when it will be communicated.”
With Liverpool returning to the Champions League after a season away, Slot has a platform to build on. There are promising youngsters to work with, and a familiar face returning to oversee the new project, but undoubtedly there are areas to address that will dictate whether the club are fighting for honours or not.
That includes contract talks with a key trio, and identifying where they can strengthen both in the transfer market and from within.
Weaknesses to work on
There are issues at both ends of the pitch, with Liverpool wasteful going forward and defensively allowing for too many opportunities, especially when compared to their nearest rivals.
In attack this season, they are third for goals scored in the Premier League (81) behind Arsenal (88) and Manchester City (87) and yet they have comfortably recorded the most shots (740) of any club in the league – 99 more than City and 120 more than Arsenal.
That equates to the most big chances created, with their 95 compared to Arsenal’s 80 an indication of how clinical the Gunners have been by comparison, while Darwin Nunez (27) accounts for almost a third of Liverpool’s missed chances.
No surprise, then, that Liverpool’s expected goals (xG) is more than six goals behind their expected tally – both Arsenal and City are outperforming their xG – while Nunez alone is more than eight goals below what would have been expected, making for an obvious transfer priority the club will not be alone in seeking this summer.
And if defences win titles then it is clear to see why Liverpool have dropped off behind Arsenal and City in the race.
They have conceded 10 more than Arsenal and five more than City, which may seem like fine margins, while their save percentage of 73.6 is only bettered by Manchester United and Everton, but that only goes to show the amount of chances they are giving opponents.
In short, Liverpool have faced 140 shots on target compared to Arsenal’s 79 and City’s 101. The last time Liverpool outperformed City in this regard, they won the title.
Three players Liverpool should target
Weaknesses take us to transfers, and while Slot will hope to imprint his philosophy on the current squad, he will also seek reinforcements from elsewhere – although Liverpool fans will be wary of an Erik ten Hag-esque arrival where the Dutchman brings a couple of players along for the ride.
That may not be the worst thing, although the return of Michael Edwards and impending arrival of Richard Hughes as the new sporting director means Slot will not have any level of autonomy in this regard, with targets likely being drawn up already.
Edwards was the mastermind behind the scenes that converted Klopp’s Liverpool into Premier League contenders, and so as CEO of football he will deem this to be a similar task when working with Hughes and Slot.
Certain areas to strengthen could depend on who leaves, but regardless Liverpool are almost certainly going to be in the market for a centre-back to partner Virgil van Dijk.
Joel Matip is leaving as a free agent this summer, and since the defender’s season-ending injury Klopp has flitted between Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah at centre-back, a fight for the shirt that could eventually be won by a third party. Willian Pacho of Eintracht Frankfurt is one named linked with Liverpool, with the German club reportedly wanting more than £50m for the 22-year-old Ecuadorian.
Liverpool may also join the hunt for a new No 9 as well, an area that Arsenal have made no secret of trying to address. Competition will be fierce, therefore, and it seems unlikely Liverpool will meet Brentford’s demands for Ivan Toney.
In that regard, Liverpool may well be tracking one Feyenoord player and doing their due diligence to ensure he can continue his fine form under Slot. Santiago Gimenez, 23, has scored 23 league goals this term, boasting a conversion rate that is twice as good as Nunez’s.
In midfield, with Thiago Alcantara’s contract up and unlikely to be renewed, it could be a case of a squad player coming in, but they could also be tempted to go big on a defensive midfielder that challenges Wataru Endo, who has gone from bench option to regular starter under Klopp this season.
Fulham’s Joao Palhinha feels like the obvious pick, although a new contract signed last September until 2028 – after a move to Bayern Munich fell through – means Liverpool would not only face competition for the midfielder, but may have to pay a handsome fee.
Key contract discussions and potential departures
The trio with contracts expiring in 2025 reads like a most influential Liverpool players under Klopp top-three list: Salah, Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
There will be fears of Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold leaving next summer, potentially even waiting to see where Klopp may end up, but with talks set to take place once the season is over, there is every chance confirmation of Slot is followed by these two renewing their contracts – perhaps even closer to the new campaign to give the season lift-off.
That makes Salah the biggest conundrum here, as a summer on from rejecting £150m the club now face losing the Egyptian for free.
The caveat there, though, is a positive whereby Salah remains for another year to ease this transition under Slot. There may be talk that now is the right time to part ways, and perhaps open the door for Harvey Elliott to establish himself as a regular starter given his tendency to change the game when coming off the bench, but that is likely only going to be the case if Liverpool can get a substantial fee.
In truth, Liverpool cannot afford to lose a player who posts Salah’s level of numbers, and though he can be frustrating to watch at times, a tally of 18 league goals this season tells you his powers may be diminishing slightly but have far from gone away.
More pressingly, Liverpool must make a decision on Nunez, who removed all posts featuring Liverpool on his Instagram this weekend. A sign that he is frustrated with online abuse from his own fans is one suggestion, and the Uruguayan is unlikely to have missed the criticism from pundits too, with Jamie Carragher saying there will be “no improvement” on his wasteful performances, adding: “This is what he is.”
Barcelona have been linked with Nunez, a move that could suit all parties, but the striker may hope to convince Slot and prove his doubters wrong with a third campaign at Liverpool. That could prove folly.
The prospect of selling Luis Diaz does not seem far-fetched either, should Liverpool want to shake-up their forward line. Diaz’s father has long talked up the prospect of his son joining Barcelona, while Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be monitoring the Colombian, according to The Telegraph.
With an asking price of £75m, receive an offer even close to that and Liverpool would be wise to sell, providing they keep Salah for some stability.
Young players to bring through?
Klopp’s “kids” won the Carabao Cup for the German, which will go down as his final trophy with the club, and they could yet prove to be his ultimate parting gift.
Conor Bradley, 20, has already shown what he is capable of when given a run in the team, while it is worth remembering that defensive midfielder Stefan Bajcetic, 19, has missed the majority of this season through injury – having shown such promise last year.
Two more 19-year-olds in Bobby Clark and James McConnell will hope to press on after appearing in the Carabao Cup final. Along with Bajcetic, the midfielders may help Liverpool strengthen from within, likewise forward Jayden Danns, the 18-year-old who scored twice against Southampton in the FA Cup in February and went on to sign a new contract in March.
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