Huge summer beckons for Liverpool with City, United and Chelsea primed to progress

Liverpool have squandered the advantage they gained after being crowned champions of Europe and England
It could well be a busy transfer period for the owners at Anfield

Tony Evans

Published: 5:18pm, 4 Jun 2021

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Liverpool’s third-place finish in the Premier League was an unexpected positive after a season that threatened at times to spin out of control but the Champions League final in Porto put the campaign into perspective. Chelsea, who finished two points below Jurgen Klopp’s team, left Portugal with European football’s most prestigious trophy. Manchester City, runaway title winners, returned to England in defeat but with an increased determination to dominate the continent.

Both these teams will strengthen from a position of power in the close season, something Liverpool failed to do in consecutive summers after winning the Champions League and the Premier League. Throw Manchester United into the mix and there are three clubs who will dominate the transfer market. Finishing in the top four has taken some of the pain out of a lacklustre title defence but Liverpool are still trying to fashion a fightback from a position of weakness.

Klopp’s first concern is the health of his squad. Injuries do not completely explain some of the performances of January and February but they definitely had an impact on results. Virgil van Dijk’s absence since October deprived the side of class and leadership. The Dutchman decided that he would not be ready for the Euros and Holland’s loss is Liverpool’s gain. The club are keen to extend his contract – it expires in two years – but it is vital that he returns somewhere near his pre-injury best.

Joe Gomez, the other first-choice centre half, is also a concern. He is just 24 and has already suffered two serious knee problems. That is worrying. Joel Matip is unreliable and struggles to put together a run of games. The arrival of Ibrahima Konate from Leipzig adds strength to the back line but there are a number of concerns that linger from last season. The newcomer is the only one of the front line centre backs without fitness concerns.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury in England’s 1-0 victory over Austria enraged Liverpool fans, especially after Gareth Southgate showed ambivalence in picking the 22-year-old in the squad. Yet it could work out well from an Anfield perspective if the full back misses the Euros. He should be back for the new season and the rest will do him good. Klopp will benefit from Jordan Henderson’s presence in the national side. It will give the captain a chance to sharpen his fitness after a four-month lay-off.

Henderson and Alexander-Arnold were key to the team’s tactics during the period when Liverpool swept aside all-comers but last season the strategy stalled. Opponents worked out how to stop Klopp’s side. Part of the summer’s work for the manager will be developing a fresh approach to surprise the opposition. Even if the walking wounded come back at their very best, the methods of 2019 will not work. Georginio Wijnaldum will likely depart for Barcelona and the midfield needs to be reshaped. Thiago Alcantara made significant strides towards the end of the campaign and the 30-year-old is primed to be at the heart of a refined system. He needs to improve further and Klopp has to find a new balance in the middle of the park.

Going into last season with only three front-line centre backs was a huge mistake, as was the scramble to bring in defenders at the end of the January window

Up front there is plenty of firepower. Speculation continues about Mohamed Salah’s future but the economic climate and the quality of strikers on the market means the Egyptian will probably remain at the club.

Liverpool’s three biggest Premier League rivals have significantly more spending power. Khaldoon al Mubarak, City’s chairman, this week talked about “sending a strong message ... that you’re not satisfied by winning the league.” Chelsea spent more than £220 million last summer and will be busy in the transfer market this time around. United will flash the cash to try and catch City.

Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp needs to be creative to close gap to English Premier League rivals

Although Fenway Sports Group’s (FSG) sale of 10 per cent of the company to RedBird Capital generated £533 million and took the pressure off the owners after the losses caused by Covid, Liverpool have to be creative rather than profligate during the summer sales.

Michael Edwards, the sporting director, has earned a reputation for being a sharp operator but going into last season with only three front-line centre backs was a huge mistake, as was the scramble to bring in defenders at the end of the January window. Sometimes Edwards and FSG try to be too clever and it rebounds on them.

Liverpool also failed to trim the squad. Too many fringe players have hung around for a year too long. It will be even more difficult to conduct a clear-out in the coming months because of the financial effects of the pandemic. Anfield cannot afford to be stuck with players who are surplus to Klopp’s requirements.

Ibrahima Konate is the first signing of the summer for Liverpool. But he surely won’t be the last. Photo: AFP

The likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi had little impact when needed. The cost of their wages would have been better allocated elsewhere. It will be difficult to restructure the squad in the summer.

It is disingenuous to portray Liverpool as a club with financial difficulties. Compared with most of football they are hugely wealthy. They are, however, the poor relation in the top four. At the beginning of last season Liverpool were in pole position. They squandered a host of opportunities.

City have spent 10 years priming the club to dominate the Premier League. Through brilliant management, superb tactics, good business and a bit of luck, Liverpool not only denied them but were superior. But there is no standing still in football. You either go backwards or forwards. Liverpool went in the wrong direction.

Regaining the position at the top will not be easy. Fitness will play a part. Klopp will take care of the tactics and tenacity. FSG need to get their spending right and not cut corners. It will be a huge summer for Liverpool.

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