Liverpool may be coming after the Premier League, but this summer that performance is not allowed to disguise the size of the reconstruction task with which head coach Arne Slot is confronted.
Slot has just passed his most difficult week in work since the replacement of Jurgen Klopp, after back-to-back defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United who put an end to the Champions League and Carabao Cup respectively.
Het is de eerste keer dat de Nederlander opeenvolgende verliezen heeft geleden tijdens zijn debuutcampagne die verantwoordelijk is voor de Reds, maar, zoals zo vaak het geval is, zal hij zoveel meer hebben geleerd over zijn team – in het bijzonder hun zwakke punten – in die twee omkeringen dan uit een van hun vele overwinningen dit seizoen, zoals hij en sportieve directeur Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard, as he and sporting director Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard, Richard Richard, Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard, Richard, Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard, as he and Sportieve, ” Richard, also prepares for a busy summer.
Similar to when Liverpool last won the competition five years ago, instead of heralding a new era of Dominance on Merseyside, the expected title Triumph this season could represent the end of a era for this Reds side while Slot is looking at changes for next season …..
The 'elephants' in the room
The not so hidden 'elephants' in Liverpool's room remain Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold and it repeats that, as things are, that Trio will all leave Anfield for free when their contracts ends at the end of June.
So, what happens to their futures will have a knock-on effect recovery this summer, which means that Slot and Hughes may be looking for a new right-sided forward, center-back and right-back.
Not only that, but the club has also been in discussion with Ibrahima Konate about expanding his deal that only runs until 2026, but still without breakthrough, while reports continue to link Luis Diaz, which has two years about his contract, with a move this summer.
And all this before we even start talking about possible newcomers to strengthen the team for next season.
Stop Salah, stop Liverpool?
Liverpool has to strengthen their options in advance of this summer, according to Jamie Carragher, who wants his former club to bring in two attackers to get part of the burden of Salah's shoulders if he chooses to stay in Anfield.
“The lack of pace in the team is staring at the attack,” he told Sky Sports. “I regret Salah a bit. He took a bit of a stick in the last games against PSG, but he doesn't get any help from the other attackers.
“The other attackers who has Liverpool are good players, not great players. Liverpool has to buy two attackers. No team players, but players to hopefully play next to Salah.”
The figures back Carragher up, with Diaz [1]Diogo Jota [1]Darwin Nunez [3] and Federico Chiesa [0] After having scored a meager five-top goals between them in 2025, which means that Salah has been responsible for a competition-high 63.8 percent of all Liverpool's targets this season, an unhealthy dependence that is certainly not sustainable in the future.
There are reports that Liverpool is considering discharging the injury-sensitive Jota and Nunez, which the club rejected a large range of money in January for the Saudi Pro League, while Diaz and Chiesa could also be moving this summer, even though it was only signed by Juventus at the start of the season.
If the Premier League top scorer were to leave, then that would leave a large reconstruction lane in the attack for Hughes to undertake, whereby the Reds reportedly did Due Diligence on Newcastle's Alexander Isak, Bryan Mbeumo by Brentford and Joao from Brighton.
Outdated team must renew
The physical – and also mental – toll on the Liverpool players has recently been clear in their two losses, partly because of the dependence on a significant core of familiar lieutenants throughout the season, with only Man Utd's Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes who have played more Premier League minutes than Van Dijk and Salah so far.
In the meantime, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have also contracted the minutes in the engine room of the Reds Midfield, with all three Laggy and from the pace as a result in recent weeks.
All managers of course rely on experienced stars, especially, especially in a club, but there are clear vary signs for Slot, where Liverpool has the fourth oldest average starting XI age [27.65] And their average of 1.76 line-up changes per match is the seventh lowest this season.
Although it is important to remember that Last Summer only made one signature, this reluctance to rotate is also an indication of the lack of trust of the Dutchman in backup players Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott to cover in midfield, where Carragher calls the owners of the Fenway sports group [FSG] To also bring in a midfielder to allow more peace for Gravenberch next season.
'I don't think he [Slot] Has some time for four or five players in that team, and the fact that he did not change players at home in Southampton between the PSG matches -against one of the worst teams ever in the Premier League -I can accept that this season is not really his team, but next season, I will take players, “said the former Liverpool -Kapitein -Kapitein -Kapitein -Kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein -kapitein.”
Liverpool naturally tried to sign the real Sociedad -defending midfielder Martin Zubimendi last summer, only for the Spain International to have a late change of heart about moving to Anfield.
With Arsenal, however, who is now approaching the player's signature, Sky Sports News, Slot and Hughes, will have to look for alternative goals somewhere else, while the Dutchman is trying to form more in his image this summer.
How do you replace record-breaking full-back?
Although there is still no news about the future of Alexander-Arnold in the club, the silence of both parties is ominous, and because Real Madrid has already made clear their intentions after an offer was rejected in January for the right back, many expect this to be his last season in his boys' club.
That would leave an enormous emptiness to fill not only on the right side of Liverpool's defense, but also in the attack in view of the unparalleled passing capacity of Alexander-Arnold that has produced 64 assists since 2016, a Premier League record for a defender.
Conor Bradley has always proved to be a competent substitute for Alexander-Arnold and would be an option for the role, but the absence of the English international in Sunday Cup final showed again how difficult it will be for someone to replace the defender if he would join Madrid.
And there could even be a scenario this summer, where Hughes should recruit both a right and left back after reports that Liverpool also monitors left-sided full-backs to offer competition to Andy Robertson, including Milos Kerkez van Bournemouth and the Jorrel Hato of Ajax.
Jeepers' Keepers
Another player who recently reminded everyone of his status as one of the best in the world was Alisson after his Champions League heroism in the Parc des Princes.
The International Brazil is still only 32, so normally there would still have to be at least five years as the club of the club and yet the Reds brought Giorgi Mhaldashvili from Valencia from Valencia last summer -before he returned to the LaLiga side -with a view to a first -team place next season.
And were Saudi clubs to restore their interest in Alisson at the end of the season after he rejected an approach with a big money last summer, it will be interesting to see if Michael Edwards, CEO of Football at FSG, the 'keeper in the' Keeper Silverend to finance a team.
A new leader at the back
Van Dijk was again cautious when he discussed his Reds -Completion in the aftermath of the loss of Sunday's League Cup, but Slot will be absolutely desperate if his countryman expands his stay in Anfield after this season.
The captain of Liverpool is irreplaceable in terms of his contributions on the field, as well as his influence in the dressing room, but replace him that they might have to.
Van Dijk even were to stay, but Carragher still believes that his former club “needs a center-back as a backup for the two [Van Dijk and Konate] That we have, “with Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace and the Dean Huijsen van Bournemouth reportedly to the Liverpool summer radar.
All this points to one of the biggest squadronrevisions in recent Reds history, where Carragher calls for the arrival of “at least five or six players – three to go straight into the team and three to be strong back -ups – with so many parts of the team to improve”.
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