Liverpool can benefit from the upcoming transfer scramble after Euro 2020. The Reds must wait until they can set their plans.
Liverpool have to wait until they can do anything else this summer. That’s according to recent reports, anyway.
The Athletic claims they must sell-to-buy going forward, something ESPN backs up. It seems signing Ibrahima Konate took a big chunk out of the transfer budget.
Liverpool do need players, though. Gini Wijnaldum’s exit leaves a hole in midfield, even if the Reds probably could get by without signing a replacement.
They’ll surely want a new forward, too, given Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri could depart before long.
But it’s actually quite a strange market they’re shopping in. They’re not looking for the perfect player as neither signing would enter their first-team. Instead, there’s a need for someone who has the ability to become a star but could play a squad role to begin with.
Konate fits that bill. Finding both a midfielder and a forward who do is tricky, though.
So with that in mind, Euro 2020 should benefit Liverpool.
The Euro 2020 transfer scramble
Doing transfers before a major international tournament is tough. You essentially have two weeks to get it all done before players disappear and negotiating is tough. Many players simply don’t want to deal with transfers while at a tournament.
It means you have to know the exact player you want, know he’s available, and spend the money fast. And hope the player wants to join you, of course.
Typically, then, most business happens after the tournament. There’s usually something of a scramble as teams try to do deals fast before the start of the season.
Long-term plans can fly out of the window. What if that player you wanted had a great tournament and now his price has gone up? What if many more teams are interested? Maybe your rival for a particular player now heads in a different direction.
Or maybe someone has a bad tournament and their price drops.
This will happen all over Europe and we think that should open up opportunities for Liverpool that aren’t there right now. Teams will move players on to fund other deals and suddenly want to sell. Players could come of age in the tournament and catch the Reds’ eyes.
Or maybe someone like Harry Wilson has a blinding tournament and Liverpool can sell him for a bit more than they thought. It can happen.
The Reds don’t have obvious targets right now, not for the roles they need. So a lot of moving parts after the tournament should work in their favour as they try to find the right deal.
The wait might not be fun but we think it’ll benefit Liverpool in the long run.