2 days ago
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Liverpool fans may not admit it now, but some approached the summer transfer window with a certain sense of cynicism.
They’ve been here before, after all, with hopes of an extravagant influx of elite-level players often ending in disappointment. Kylian Mbappe never did sign, Moises Caicedo chose Chelsea instead, and please no-one ever again mention Nabil Fekir. So when Virgil van Dijk said in May that a “big summer” was in store, it was understandable that some warily shrugged their shoulders.
In the end, this may be remembered as the summer that FSG finally abolished the criticism that has plagued it for the last half decade. Jurgen Klopp famously once claimed he turned Liverpool supporters from “doubters to believers”. FSG and Richard Hughes may have just done the same.
It is incredible to think that only a few months ago some doubted his suitability for the role of sporting director. It was a verdict based largely on his decision to sign just one player during the first two transfer windows in his new post, a judgement that feels almost prescient upon reflection.
A year - and eight first-team transfers - later, no-one has any doubts. Bringing in Alexander Isak alone, and smashing the British transfer record in the process, would have won over his critics.
The Swede’s arrival may even overshadow the signing of Florian Wirtz, one described in some corners as the most exciting acquisition in recent Premier League history. But by also adding Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leono, Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike, all of whom are aged 25 or under, Liverpool’s summer’s business has ensured such lavish spends won’t be needed at Anfield for a long time.
Just shy of £450million ($602M) was spent by the Reds this window. It’s a staggering figure, one that perhaps underlines the club’s development under FSG. Matching Manchester City or Chelsea at the start of the 2020s just wasn’t possible.
Yet it does remove a long held belief among Liverpool fans that the club cannot compete with the spending of rivals. It would take a valiant effort for any supporter to ever plead poverty again.
That said, Liverpool’s summer spending should be viewed in context. Anfield executives feel this is very much the exception to the rule, one engineered by the Reds’ clever manoeuvres in the market over recent years.
Liverpool did see key figures such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez depart. They needed to be replaced, and Liverpool’s summer transfer income of £236M ($317M), potentially up to £262M ($351M) with add-ons included, is the third best of any Premier League side in the window.
The Reds didn’t even finish bottom in the net spend table, an unwanted title Arsenal currently holds. However, talk of the Gunners’ summer expenditure has been minimal in comparison to that of the reigning champions.
And few now back Mikel Arteta’s side to unseat Liverpool at the Premier League summit following the additions of Isak, Wirtz and co to a side that so comfortably won the title last season.
This is Liverpool’s new reality. The days of Klopp’s plucky underdogs have long gone. The demand for Arne Slot’s Liverpool is not just to challenge, but to win the biggest prize. Even Isak acknowledged that during his signing Q&A.
That said, this squad is not perfect, and the failure to sign Marc Guehi could leave Liverpool short at center-back, given Ibrahima Konate's form, Leoni's inexperience, and Joe Gomez's injury record.
The decision not to stump up the money earlier this summer for Guehi is the only major flaw of the window, and the one instance of FSG’s usually cautious approach having unwanted ramifications
Diaz’s absence will also be felt. Liverpool’s main back-ups for Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo are now a teenage Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa, who has started just one Premier League game thus far. When Salah misses several games due to the African Cup of Nations in the winter, that concern will feel even more pressing.
That said, Liverpool feels a pathway for Ngumoha has been kept clear, as is the case for Leoni and Trey Nyoni.
That could prove to be another FSG masterstroke, after a transformative summer for the Liverpool hierarchy.
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