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Liverpool hopes to finalise a deal for Martin Zubimendi, a midfield player for Real Sociedad, but where else should they search during the transfer window?
Even though the transfer deadline is drawing near, Liverpool has not yet added a new player. Naturally, considering their pursuit of Real Sociedad’s Spain international Martin Zubimendi, the Reds will be hoping that this changes.
After deciding that the team has to reinforce in defensive midfield, new head coach Arne Slot and sports director Richard Hughes will be eager to finalise that deal.
Slot said last month that it would be a “surprise” if no acquisitions were made in the upcoming weeks, therefore Liverpool would be evaluating several possible moves.
However, which team member should now take precedence? The writers for ECHO voice their opinions.
Ian Doyle
Liverpool is cooking, as the younger generation likes to say. And before the kitchen closes on August 30, they will undoubtedly be eager to boost their squad by removing another sizzling name from the, eh, transfer oven, if they haven’t already had their fingers scorched by Martin Zubimendi.
The Reds have been aggressively trying to bolster three areas this summer: centre defender, wide forward, and defensive midfield.
Liverpool hopes Zubimendi will click the first box. Their hand has been somewhat exposed by the second transfer, wherein they had agreed in principle to sign Anthony Gordon for £75 million, with Joe Gomez leaving for £45 million, only for Newcastle United to call off the transaction. Though there is still plenty of room for adjustment, the Reds are currently well-stocked on the wings with three weeks of the market left.
Liverpool’s next move should therefore be at the centre of the defensive. Once more, their early summertime interest in Leny Yoro suggests they are prepared to solidify that stance. Given that Virgil van Dijk is well into his 30s and that his contract expires at the end of the current campaign, the Reds will undoubtedly need to make the move sooner rather than later in this area.
There aren’t as many centre backs with first team experience as there once were, with Joel Matip and Billy Koumetio gone, Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams out of the picture, and Sepp van den Berg looking less and less likely to be a long-term fixture at Liverpool.
Theo Squires
Despite the return of multiple loan players and the growth of several young players, Liverpool’s roster is still overcrowded—there are likely more than 40 players vying for a spot in Arne Slot’s starting lineup. It will be necessary to let go of players, and these transactions will assist determine which positions the Reds’ managers should concentrate on bolstering.
The first position that needed to be addressed was defensive midfield, where Martin Zubimendi was seen by Liverpool as the ideal replacement. If their endeavour becomes fruitful, to what end should they go?
You could say they need a new wide forward and centre back once they get past a number six. However, even with their well-established interest in Anthony Gordon, they would undoubtedly need to let go of a left-winger before they could try again to broker such a transaction.
They also have two senior left-backs and four senior center-backs at the moment. They had five senior possibilities who could start if we add Sepp van den Berg, even though they were willing to sacrifice Joe Gomez to get Gordon, which would have made a move in the centre of defence less urgent.
Let us search elsewhere now. If Caoimhin Kelleher is given the chance to play at a higher level somewhere else, a new custodian is required, and it appears that left-back is a position that need attention quickly. But Liverpool’s next target on my list is a wide-forward on the right-flank.
Next summer, Mohamed Salah’s contract expires, and he has no obvious replacement. It would be most appreciated if there was a flexible option that could play several positions and take over for the Egyptian when the time came. Because of Salah’s extraordinary availability, the Reds have managed without a player like that in the past. However, the two months he spent off last season provided an unwelcome look at what lies ahead.
Once defensive midfield is covered, Liverpool’s weakness-in-depth position comes at the right wing.
Beth Lindop
Liverpool would be addressing the one area of Arne Slot’s team that the Anfield leadership sees as a glaring flaw by signing Martin Zubimendi. However, even if the Reds’ clear weakness is in defensive midfield, I contend that if they want to contend for four titles again next season, they must strengthen their backline.
Liverpool has four excellent centre-back options on paper, but going into the upcoming season, there may be some doubt about each of them. The contracts of Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate expire next summer, Jarell Quansah has only participated in one Premier League season, and Virgil van Dijk is nearing the end of his career.
It would be prudent to hire a defender who can play left-back and central defence because Andy Robertson has also struggled with injury recently and because Kostas Tsimikas’ future is still up for question. Of course, it’s far easier said than done to locate a player that meets that criteria at the proper price.
Prior to his £42 million move to Arsenal last month, Italy international Riccardo Calafiori was the clear choice; Leny Yoro, the Reds’ second purported centre-back target, has since joined Manchester United. Prior to Quansah’s rise, it seemed risky for Liverpool to enter the transfer market, but Quansah’s arrival turned their decision to stay out of it into a brilliant one.
But given that Joel Matip is no longer with the team, I don’t believe the Reds can afford to take that chance this summer.
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