It’s full steam ahead for Liverpool as they look to make their mark in the summer transfer window after a nightmare season. Arne Slot’s side finished with 24 points less than their title-winning campaign last season in what was a horror defence of their Premier League crown.
The club did capture Champions League qualification with their 1-1 draw against Brentford on Sunday but did so while posting their lowest points tally (60) in over 10 years. Even without the losses of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, the upcoming window was set to be a crucial one for Slot’s future.
The Reds will likely be set for another costly summer of business, just a year on since they splashed out £450million on new arrivals. Amid continuing discussions on Slot’s position and the latest twist on a club hero’s exit, Mirror Football takes a look at the latest stories coming out of Anfield.
View 3 ImagesLuis Enrique has been named the dream replacement for the Reds if Arne Slot was to be sacked(Image: Alex Grimm, Getty Images)
Arne Slot looks set to stay at Anfield ahead of his third campaign as Reds boss later this year but that hasn’t stopped the public discussion of his future. The club’s dismal season leaves Slot in a position where he needs his side to start strongly in August otherwise speculation around his position will heat up again, according to ex-Liverpool star Danny Murphy, who has also instructed his former side on who best to replace him with.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Murphy said: “If Slot doesn’t start well, it [pressure] is going to start again. I don’t think he’s got a big say in the players [recruitment], by the way. But I think he’s going to have some sort of say in the players that come in.
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“But if he starts badly and they’re sitting in fifth, sixth after eight games, it’s done.” When asked whether he would have considered hiring impending Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso at Anfield, Murphy said the dream acquisition for the Liverpool dugout should be Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique.
He explained: “I would try and break the bank and do anything I can to get Luis Enrique. Well, if Enrique wins the Champions League again, what more can he do?
“He must be bored there, playing in a Mickey Mouse league where he wins every week. All he’s looking forward to is the Champions League. He must want more challenge, surely?”
View 3 ImagesAlisson Becker’s Liverpool contract ends next year(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
The Reds have already had to say goodbye to Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson as reports suggested Alisson Becker could have made it a trio of exits after he was linked with a move to Juventus.
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But the Brazilian goalkeeper, whose contract at Liverpool expires next season, could yet be set to extend his eight-year tenure at Anfield following the latest report from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The Italian claimed that the Reds told the 33-year-old that they want him to stay for next season.
It is claimed that while the goalkeeper is tempted by interest from the Italian giants, a desire not to hamper his relationship with Liverpool could lead to him staying for what would be his ninth year in Merseyside.
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