Liverpool’s summer signings have now completed their first season under Arne Slot, and it is fair to say the club’s heavy investment has not delivered what fans were hoping for.
Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giovanni Leoni and Freddie Woodman all arrived during a window that was meant to reshape the squad and push Liverpool forward. Instead, it has ended with a mixed set of results and plenty of questions still lingering.
There have been positives, plenty of negatives, and a few players who remain difficult to judge. Injuries played a big role, form was inconsistent, and not every verdict can be separated from context. But after a full season, there is enough to start evaluating the first phase of Slot’s Liverpool rebuild.
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Alexander Isak: D
Fee: £125m rising to £130m
Signed from: Newcastle United
Stats: 22 appearances, 4 goals, 1 assist
Isak’s season was disrupted by a serious leg injury just before Christmas, but even before that, he had not looked like the player Liverpool thought they were getting.
There were too many games where he disappeared. He never really looked like the devastating forward Liverpool saw at Newcastle.
A full pre-season should help. He should be fit, settled and ready for the new campaign, but Liverpool badly need the real Isak to show up next year.
Hugo Ekitike: A
Fee: £69m rising with add-ons
Signed from: Eintracht Frankfurt
Stats: 43 appearances, 17 goals, 6 assists
Ekitike was the clear bright spot of Liverpool’s new arrivals. Seventeen goals in his first season in England is an excellent return, especially in a side that never really hit its stride.
He was not perfect. There were big games where he went quiet, and his decision-making in the final third could still be frustrating. But on the bell curve of new faces at Anfield, Ekitike sits right at the top.
The cruel part is that he was injured just as Isak was returning. Ekitike’s Achilles injury in April means he will miss the World Cup and likely a large chunk of the start of next season.
Florian Wirtz: D
Fee: £100m rising to £116m
Signed from: Bayer Leverkusen
Stats: 45 appearances, 7 goals, 7 assists
Wirtz arrived with huge expectations, but his first season fell well short of the mark.
He struggled to adapt to the Premier League’s pace, physicality and intensity. Too often, he looked like a player still searching for his place in the team.
There was a better spell in mid-season, but Liverpool did not pay more than £100m for flashes.
The 22-year-old is still a ridiculous talent, and writing him off after one year would be foolish. Next season is crucial, though. The patience around such a huge investment will not last forever.
Jeremie Frimpong: C
Fee: £29.5m
Signed from: Bayer Leverkusen
Stats: 32 appearances, 2 goals, 2 assists
Frimpong is probably the most difficult signing to grade. There were exciting moments, and his pace is something Liverpool’s squad clearly needed. He is also a more underrated defender than some give him credit for.
The problem is that his profile is so specific, and Liverpool have not always looked set up to maximise it. As an attacker, he lacks decisiveness and cutting edge too often. As a defender, he is diminutive and still prone to mistakes when isolated.
That leaves him in the middle of the road. A C feels right because there is obvious value there, but there are obvious questions too. And he didn’t cost nine figures…
Milos Kerkez: B
Fee: £40m
Signed from: Bournemouth
Stats: 46 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist
This grade might feel generous because Kerkez was inconsistent. He also did not show the same attacking prowess Liverpool saw from him at Bournemouth. But I like him. He is combative, brave, intense and looks like a defender who actually enjoys the fight.
Positioning needs sharpening — both he and Andy Robertson were guilty of lapses at the back post far too many times during the season.
Still, the base is there. He has the energy, edge and personality to become Liverpool’s starter at left-back moving forward.
Giovanni Leoni: N/A
Fee: £26m
Signed from: Parma
Stats: 1 appearance, 0 goals, 0 assists
There is no fair way to grade Leoni. He played once and then tore his ACL, which was a terrible shame for both the player and the club.
Liverpool signed him because his ceiling is enormous, and one ruined season does not change that. It only delays the point at which supporters get to properly judge him.
He should be back next season. That is when Liverpool fans will likely see why there was so much hype around him.
Freddie Woodman: A
Fee: Free transfer
Signed from: Preston North End
Stats: 4 appearances, 7 goals conceded
As free transfers go, this was brilliant. Woodman was signed as a depth goalkeeper, but Liverpool ended up needing him more than anyone expected. With Alisson and Giorgi Mamardashvili both out, he stepped in and did his job.
Woodman’s performance in the Merseyside derby was particularly impressive. Coming into that kind of game cold and looking composed is not easy.
No one expected Woodman to become a storyline this season, but he did. Liverpool should absolutely keep him around.
Final verdict
Slot’s first window was supposed to be a transformative one for Liverpool. Instead, it has left as many questions as answers.
Ekitike and Woodman were clear positives, Kerkez looks like a strong long-term bet, and Leoni simply cannot be judged.
But Isak, Wirtz and Frimpong all have plenty to prove.
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