Premier League champions Liverpool go all out in transfer spree

New Straits Times

2 days ago

LIVERPOOL: Fresh from storming to a record-equalling 19th English top-flight title, Liverpool have not held back in transforming Arne Slot's squad in pursuit of an era of Premier League dominance.
On top of retaining veteran stars Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah to new contracts, the Reds have splashed out £260 million (US$350 million) and are reportedly far from finished in the transfer market.
Two of the Bundesliga's most promising talents Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike have arrived at Anfield to add extra creativity and goals.
Jeremie Frimpong has also made the move from Germany with the daunting task of replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, while Milos Kerkez joined from Bournemouth as the long-term successor to Andy Robertson at left-back.
More defensive reinforcements are imminent with the club closing in on deals for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi and 18-year-old Italian centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma.
But it is the potential addition of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak for a British transfer record fee in excess of £115 million that is the transfer saga of the English summer.
Liverpool were among the lowest Premier League spenders last year as Slot oversaw a steady transition from Jurgen Klopp in spectacular style.
A huge investment this time round is also possible because the Reds are among the slickest movers in the market when it comes to sales.
The departures of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold and Tyler Morton have raised around £200 million.
Liverpool's bold strategy of tearing up a title-winning team is a risky and rare experiment.
Only once, Manchester City in 2019, have the Premier League champions been the biggest spending English club in the market since 2007.
After years of battling against the financial power of Abu Dhabi-backed City, Liverpool are now flexing their muscles thanks to years of commercial growth and prudent ownership.
"It doesn't feel Liverpool-like to me," said former defender Jamie Carragher at the thought of a new £69 million striker Ekitike playing second fiddle to Isak.
After decades in the doldrums prior to Klopp's arrival, Liverpool are aiming to bring back glory days the club has not since the 1980s.
The last time Liverpool won back-to-back titles was in 1984 and doing so this season would come with the added bonus of overtaking Manchester United as English football's top dogs.
To do so, Slot has recognised the need to strike the right balance that still harnesses the best from his side's extra firepower.
A pre-season trend of high-scoring encounters continued in losing the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on penalties after twice blowing the lead.
"Now we are better in creating and getting promising situations than we were, in my opinion, throughout the whole of last season," said Slot.
"What made us really strong last season was we only won mostly by a margin of one goal and that had mostly to do with us keeping a clean sheet or as a maximum conceding one goal."
Liverpool also have extra motivation to defend their title as they try to honour a lost friend and team-mate in Diogo Jota.
The Portuguese international was killed aged just 28 alongside his brother after a car accident in northern Spain last month.
Tributes to Jota will continue throughout the season with "Forever 20" – his shirt number, which the club have now retired – printed on Liverpool's jerseys.--AFP