Liverpool have just won the Premier League title, equaling Manchester United’s record of being called champions of England 20 times, but the feelings of joy they should be experiencing right now have somewhat been dimmed by Trent Alexander-Arnold announcing his departure when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Much has been said about the club ers booing the 26-year-old right-back during the game against Arsenal a couple of days ago, but while the fan base and the media debate that issue, the immediate concern for the club should be moving forward. The first step will, of course, be planning for the summer transfer window and finding ways to strengthen and rejuvenate the squad.
The roles of defence leader and main attacking threat have, for the time being, been settled as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah signed new two-year deals. However, there’s no hiding from the fact that the pair of them will turn 34 and 33, respectively, this summer, and though no immediate replacements are necessary, identifying long-term successors certainly wouldn’t go amiss.
Furthermore, several fringe players haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory when given a chance. Head coach Arne Slot himself has itted that Harvey Elliott, for example, hasn’t hit the levels expected, and there’s been much noise over the proclivity of Darwin Nunez to waste clear-cut chances. It’s been three full seasons for the Uruguayan striker at Liverpool now, and it’s become painfully clear that he simply isn’t the No. 9 a club aiming to remain at the top of the game needs.
Also, Alexander-Arnold’s imminent departure will obviously leave a hole in the squad, with Conor Bradley remaining the only designated right-back, and the drop in form of Andy Robertson this season has also highlighted the need for a new left-back as well.
Several names have been mentioned as potential Liverpool targets this summer. The rumours around Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong are very loud at the moment, with most journalists expecting a deal to go through. That should cover the replacing of Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool have also been credited with strong interest in Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, though it’s been a while since any developments on that front have been reported.
The latest player with whose representatives the Merseysiders have reportedly met is another Leverkusen star – Florian Wirtz. With attacking midfield not considered a priority at this point and reports suggesting his services would cost well over €100 million, this may be a strange one, but at just 22, the international would surely add great quality for years to come.
Liverpool, however, do not expect Wirtz to leave his homeland. They believe he will either stay put or Bayern Munich, but they’re still ready to pounce should his intentions change at any moment.
But all that aside now, Liverpool’s greatest problem is the situation with Ibrahima Konate. The French centre-back, who has established himself firmly as the first-choice partner to Van Dijk in the heart of defence, will be entering the final year of contract, and with Real Madrid said to be circling like vultures again, there is a growing possibility for the Alexander-Arnold problem to repeat itself next year.
This is clearly a matter Liverpool need to resolve straight away and show determination. The 25-year-old has been offered a new deal some time ago – he has said so himself – and presuming the on that offered deal are reasonable from both points of view, the logical course of action would be to tell Konate to either sign, or seek a club that would be willing to pay a suitable fee for his services this year.
And if the latter proves the player’s choice, a new name in the squad will obviously be needed, and adding another centre-back capable of challenging for a starting spot would be a wise move anyway. Presumably for that exact reason, Liverpool are in the race for Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen. At this point, it looks like a complicated deal to get done with Real Madrid once again to blame, but it’s been said that if that move does not happen, the 20-year-old would look to stay in England with Liverpool as his preferred destination, even though Arsenal and Chelsea want him too.
But never mind the transfer speculation, g Huijsen would surely make perfect sense for Liverpool, regardless of Konate’s choice. If the Frenchman leaves, Huijsen has proven ready to step in with great performances in the Premier League this season. If not, the two of them would compete for the spot beside Van Dijk, and could form a great partnership when the time for the captain to take a step back eventually comes.
With everything taken into , on top of the imminent arrival of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, g the quartet of Frimpong, Wirtz, Kerkez and Huijsen would almost make a perfect summer window for Liverpool, with only a striker remaining to complete the incoming business.
Let’s see what actually happens, though.
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
