Liverpool missed chance to complete their midfield for just £17m and are now rueing it

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The only area in which Liverpool did not add to their squad in this summer’s transfer market was in midfield.

It was a hugely busy summer for the Reds, one in which they twice broke the British transfer record and added eight players in total to their squad.

But while goalkeepers, full-backs, a centre-back and several forwards were signed, Arne Slot saw no need to bolster the middle of his Liverpool team.

There is good reason for that, of course. Liverpool rebuilt their entire midfield in the summer of 2023, when Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo all arrived.

However, Endo is now a bit-part player, while Slot could arguably do with one more capable body to help ease the load on Mac Allister and Gravenberch in particular.

Had they been a little more savvy, the Reds could easily have added France midfielder Manu Kone to the Liverpool squad in 2024. The 24-year-old would have completed Slot’s midfield options, but now looks unlikely to ever make the move to Anfield.

Liverpool should have signed Manu Kone

Liverpool were heavily linked with Kone during their rebuild year in 2023. However, with injuries disrupting the then Borussia Monchengladbach player, they looked in a different direction.

That has worked out well for the Reds, no question about that. But after Slot decided he didn’t fancy Endo and tried to sign Martin Zubimendi in 2024, they should have returned for Kone.

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Instead, the France international joined Roma for as little as £17m. Given Kone’s struggles with injury, it looked a potential gamble for the Serie A club at the time. But it has paid off handsomely.

Kone played 45 times for the Romans in 2024/25, earning a first ever call-up to the France national team, for whom he played 90 minutes during Friday’s win over Ukraine.

Deep-lying but with an eye for a through-the-lines pass, Kone is reminiscent of Gravenberch in the way he plays the game.

Had Liverpool paid the cheap fare to sign the former Toulouse man last year, they could have justified Kone being a back-up to Gravenberch. But he has also shown that he can step up and be a genuinely top player in a dominant team as well. Kone could have ticked every box.

Could Liverpool return for Kone?

The feeling around Liverpool appears to be that they are happy with their midfield options for the time being.

However, if either of Mac Allister or Gravenberch gets injured, it still feels like the Reds do not have a player good enough to slot in with similar quality.

In our opinion, this is something Slot and Richard Hughes should look to address in 2026. And perhaps they will.

Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller could be one to watch in that regard, but Kone is arguably a better player with a higher ceiling.

Given the Frenchman’s contract runs until 2029, Roma are unlikely to sell cheap, and why should they? So, having failed to bag themselves a bargain one year ago, we feel Liverpool may now never get their hands on a player who could truly have completed their midfield.