With the Premier League title now in the bag, Arne Slot will have his chance to experiment as the Liverpool boss looks to lay the foundations for a successful defence of their crown.
Liverpool obliterated Tottenham Hotspur in an Anfield procession. The title might not has arrived as rapidly as it did back in 2020 – Jurgen Klopp ended The Reds’ three-decade wait for glory with seven matches remaining – but there are four games left on the fixture list for a side who could still end the campaign with 94 points to their name.
So, will Arne Slot use final month as an excuse to shuffle his pack a little? A chance to look at all his options, and give those facing an uncertain summer the chance to stake their claim?
Fabrizio Romano believes Darwin Nunez is certain to leave, and Luis Diaz may not be far behind. Can the Saudi-linked duo convince Slot, between now and the end of May, that they should instead have a major part to play in 2025/26?
Jarell Quansah is on Newcastle’s radar, while Kostas Tsimikas, Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa could also depart. The next few weeks, then, may be their last chance at salvaging those Liverpool careers.
According to reports, meanwhile, Bournemouth have identified Harvey Elliott as a potential £45 million target ahead of the summer transfer window.
Harvey Elliott planning Liverpool stay despite Bournemouth interest
Elliott, while playing 24 games in all competitions, has not started a single top-flight match since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the dugout.
And, six years after arriving at Anfield from Fulham, the England Under-21 international is still yet to really cement his most effective role. Is he a playmaker or a winger? Someone to rival Ryan Gravenberch in the midfield three, or a potential understudy to Mo Salah on the right-hand side?
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo though, Elliott does not sound like a man ready to give up the ghost. The second-youngest debutant in Premier League history is still hoping to establish himself as a regular in the Liverpool XI, and time is not certainly on his side having only turned 22 this month.
“I think it’s been a lot more difficult for me because I obviously had that injury at the start,” Elliott begins, missing three months of action early in Slot’s tenure. “But at the same time, you need to be here for the team, work as hard as you can and when the opportunities come on the pitch.
“A lot of times this season it’s almost been [coming on] when we’ve been losing or drawing, so it is about trying to change the game, try and turn it around and have a positive impact. But, you know, any minutes for Liverpool are amazing.
“I hope that I can push on [next season]. This is my team. I am committed to them and it’s just a situation that is always going to have a lot of talk. I just need to think about what is best for my future, my career and as much as I want it to be here.”
Elliott knows Arne Slot will have the final say on his Liverpool future
Elliott is the third Liverpool player on Bournemouth’s radar, alongside goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and teenage winger Ben Doak. He accepts that the final decision will rest with Slot, but Elliott is confident that the Dutchman can be won over.
Slot is on record labelling Elliott a ‘talented player’, explaining that his lack of starts can largely be explained by that ill-timed injury.
“You never know what is going to happen around the corner. If I had it my way, that would be here,” Elliott adds. “I would play each and every game here and stay here for the rest of my career but it all depends on managers, the people above and as I said you don’t know what could happen.
“But, as far as I am aware, I am here, here to stay, and this is the club I want to be at.
“Hopefully, I am still here to be honest [past the summer]. It is the best place to be, the best club to be at and especially having the fans around us at the moment, I don’t think there is a better place to be playing.
“Players go through ups and downs but at the end of the day you have to come out fighting and I think it is within myself to make it happen. So hopefully I can stay here for the rest of my career.”
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