Graeme Souness makes big claim about what Reds are going to do next season

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Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has backed his old club to ‘come close’ in the Premier League next season.

The Reds are coming off the back of an extremely disappointing 2022/23 campaign. Having run Manchester City so close the year before, Liverpool dropped to fifth place. Going into the new season, expectations are a little damper than usual.

But speaking to TalkSPORT, Souness has predicted that Jurgen Klopp’s side will be there or thereabouts in 2023/24.

“I think Liverpool will succeed,” said the 70-year-old. “When I say succeed, come close to winning the Champions League and close to winning the Premier League. The only way they can do that is if they make good signings from midfield.

“When I look at Liverpool now, that’s a team that’s got a great goalkeeper, they’ve got a fabulous back four and they’ve got the hardest thing of all, which is goal scorers.

“There’s just one part of the team and I felt it was the same last year [that the midfield wasn’t good enough].”

Souness makes Reds prediction

Who’s to say Souness is wrong here – although we don’t think Liverpool will be close to winning the Champions League, seeing as they’re not even in it!

That aside, the legendary midfielder makes some salient points. As bad as they were last year, there is still real talent, and plenty of goals, within the squad.

The fact does still remain that the midfield is an issue. But with as many as five of the disappointing crop from last year leaving, Liverpool are evolving in that position, too.

The trouble obviously will be trying to gel those new players as quickly as possible. Bringing three or four fresh faces into a starting line-up all in one go rarely works, but the Reds have backed themselves into that corner.

By failing to address the midfield for so many years, they ensured all the work would have to be done at once.

They couldn’t have prepared for the Saudi Arabia situation regarding Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, that’s true. But the point still stands. Now they’re scrambling to make sure they’re stronger than they were last season.

Unless two top midfielders are brought in over the next six weeks or so, they won’t be. Nevertheless, with the fat trimmed and Jurgen re-energised, we’re inclined to agree with Souey. The Reds will be back.