Liverpool are about to enter one of the most important transfer windows of the Arne Slot era, even if he’s not quite ready to describe it that way.
There is already a sense that the next few months could shape the squad for years to come. Ahead of Liverpool’s huge clash with Manchester United, Slot gave an in-depth interview with Sky Sports in which he discussed the scrutiny he has faced, reflected on the season so far and addressed the question of the summer.
His level-headed response indicates that while the club are aware of the work that needs to be done, they are still waiting to see how things unfold on the transfer market and at Anfield.
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Arne Slot lays out Liverpool’s approach to transfers this summer
Slot was not keen to label the upcoming window as a huge one for Liverpool. Managers rarely want to talk too much about transfer business while there is still a season to finish.
But he did admit that the size of Liverpool’s summer will depend heavily on what happens with the current squad.
He explained: “I wouldn’t use that word, ‘big summer ahead’, because we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen at this moment of time.
“We know that Robbo and Mo are going to leave. But we also know Kostas Tsimikas might come back. So, yeah, we need a way to replace a player like Mo, which is never going to be easy.”
That feels like the biggest task on their hands, though Slot goes on to say he thinks the goals will be spread more with players like Alexander Isak.
But the crux of his answer is that players will be replaced.
He went on: “As we showed last season, which is quite normal by the way in football, that if players leave, you try to replace them. And if you have to replace them, that usually at our level comes with a lot of cost, a lot of money.”
Liverpool will be forced into major business as senior players move on. Salah and Robertson for now, but there could be more.
That is why this summer could quickly become bigger than the club initially planned.
Arne Slot says Liverpool cannot afford transfer failures
Slot then widened the point when speaking about the broader cycle Liverpool are now in.
The Dutchman made clear that this is not just about one window. It is about building the next version of Liverpool.
He said: “As we all know, two icons of this club, Robbo and Mo, are going to leave as well.
“So, we are still in a transition phase. A team that has been so special for three, four years with Jurgen, four or five years ago and the years before that, that time is coming to an end. And we are trying to rebuild a team that can go on another cycle as these players have done for four or five years.
“So therefore we have to constantly make the right decisions because we cannot afford to have three or four failures in the signings we make because that’s not the club who we are. Every signing, everything we do needs to be right.”
Every signing will need to fit the plan, fit the level and fit the future. Slot may not want to call it a big summer yet, but it’s shaping up that way as players continue to be linked away from Anfield.
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