Arne Slot eventually left Liverpool at the end of May following a disastrous season, but it’s hard to think that the Dutchman had no say in the summer transfer plans prior to his exit.
So far, the Reds have signed World Cup star Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet, for whom a deal was agreed in the winter window.
However, many Liverpool fans are unhappy with the transfer dealings at Anfield this summer, suggesting that several more additions still need to be made.
But given Slot seemed to hint that the Merseyside outfit would only be signing one or two players in 2026 and were set to take a much more cautious approach, supporters probably shouldn’t expect an influx of new names between now and early September.
What has been holding Alexis Mac Allister back at Liverpool recently?
Maybe Andoni Iraola can get more out of him 🤔
Arne Slot hinted at a quiet, cautious Liverpool summer transfer window.
Speaking on May 23, just a week before he left, Slot suggested ‘one or two’ signings would be made on two separate occasions in the same interview.
He said: “But it should not all be about the one or two players we might bring in. It’s also definitely about evolving the ones we brought in last season and the ones we already have longer.
“And I think there’s a lot to be won for us to win in things we can improve compared to this season. And one of the things, of course, is having players available. But the second thing, we have to do better defensively and offensively.
“And hopefully signing one or two players can even accelerate that evolution.”
Meanwhile, in another interview earlier in May, Slot seemed to hint at cautious recruitment because the club can’t afford to have any transfer failures:
He stated: “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.”
Well, it is fair to say that Liverpool are certainly being cautious when it comes to recruitment, as they still haven’t signed a right-winger to replace Mohamed Salah despite having months to plan a deal.
But when it comes to a reduced number of signings compared to 2025, that does not bode well for the forthcoming season.
Two midfielders are probably needed, while a new right-back, a new centre-back and maybe even a left-back should be signed as well.
However, that seems very unlikely, which means Andoni Iraola is going to have to rely on fringe players like Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas to prop up his squad, none of whom have previously been good enough to earn regular spots in the best XI.
It also means Liverpool face going into the new season with yet more problems at centre-back.
Ibrahima Konate is gone, Joe Gomez is very injury-prone, Giovanni Leoni still isn’t back from injury, and it’ll be some time before the Italian, who only featured once last season, is match-fit.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
