Arne Slot needs 3 more transfers to see his Liverpool plan spring into action

Liverpool was very busy in the transfer market in 2026, bringing in some big-money signings including Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, but there is more work to be done

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Izzy Poles - AMA/Getty Images)

It is tempting to look at transfer windows as individual periods, but the reality is that they all merge into one. Behind the scenes at Liverpool, work didn't stop on September 1 and resume in January; conversations are ongoing.

If a player who is a long-term target becomes available in the winter, then Liverpool has proven itself capable of doing deals then in the past, proactively getting ahead of a summer scramble. Luis Diaz, who was brought in from FC Porto in 2022 when Spurs made a move for him, is just one example.

There are so many moving parts and factors to consider that predicting exactly what a transfer window might look like can change from one week to the next. In 2026, the only guarantee is that more incomings are highly likely.

At least one center-back, no matter what happens with Marc Guehi and Ibrahima Konate, is almost a given to arrive. Liverpool needs more depth in that department, and the hugely talented Giovanni Leoni has barely played because of an ACL injury.

Guehi signing as a free agent would be the ideal move. Experienced and homegrown, the Crystal Palace captain would fit the bill perfectly, though Manchester City is now said to be keen too, alongside a host of sides from around Europe.

If Konate were to leave, that would open up another vacancy, while there is a need — as much as it might be painful — to consider who might be capable of one day helping Liverpool move beyond Virgil van Dijk.

(Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)

Even if Konate stays and pens new terms at Anfield, signing Guehi would be a good idea. On top of that, there would be a strong argument for signing another one too.

In midfield, Liverpool needs an upgrade on Wataru Endo; a player genuinely capable of starting meaningful games in the number six position.

Ryan Gravenberch is the only proper option there at the moment. More depth is needed in front of him as well, where there is Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch(Image: PETER POWELL/AFP via Getty Images)

And in attack, Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa have only proven to be half-options at best so far this season. Slot clearly doesn't feel either is ready and capable of contributing much from the start.

Though Liverpool couldn't have foreseen Alexander Isak being injured for so long, it knew that Mohamed Salah would be heading to AFCON. Hugo Ekitike missed the Fulham game, paying the price for being overplayed in recent matches.

In addition to needing to add more pace to its attack, particularly out wide, Liverpool is also therefore short of numbers in that area.

The idea that signing Isak and Ekitike was overkill was ludicrous: in fact, the Reds should have added one more, albeit a wide forward rather than a number nine. If Salah leaves in the summer, it will need at least two.

Even if Liverpool retains the players that it has now — and that is not usually how things unfold in a summer transfer window — then it is roughly three senior options short of where it needs to be.

Exits for players — Konate, say, or Andy Robertson, who is also currently set to be out of contract when the campaign ends — would only increase the need even further for additional purchases to be made.

Despite spending around $300M net in the previous summer window, Liverpool needs to be prepared to go again.

It will secure its Champions League status again this season unless something goes dramatically wrong, but Arne Slot has his eyes on prizes much bigger. To achieve that, he needs a little bit more.