It was always expected to be a fairly busy summer for Richard Hughes and the Liverpool recruitment team coming off the back of Premier League title number 20. However, I don’t think anyone expected to transfer window to turn into such significant few months.
The Reds started things off with something old rather than something new to set the stage. Both Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk signed contract extensions with the club, keeping two of the core players for at least two more years. Richard Hughes
quickly turned his attentions to burning through the significant transfer fund provided by FSG.
The Reds quickly moved to wrap up two new starting-caliber fullbacks in Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. While those moves were widely expected, it was the opportunistic signing of Florian Wirtz that really made people sit up and take notice. It seemed that Wirtz was nailed on to move to Bayern Munich before Hughes and Co. made their move. Wirtz is widely considered one of the top attacking talents in the game at just 22 years of age.
Two more under-the-radar deals to bolster the goalkeeping ranks with youngster Armin Pecsi and veteran Freddie Woodman went through before the real drama began. The Reds kicked off their search for a central striker with an early attempt for Alexander Isak, but Newcastle was loathe to let their star striker leave. Hughes quickly pivoted to pip Newcastle to Hugo Ekitike. Despite signing one of the top young strikers on the market, Liverpool were still reported to be in for Isak, with the Swedish striker going on…strike…to get the move he says he was promised.
While that drama played out, Hughes turned his attentions to finding additional depth at center back. Marc Guéhi was the primary target, but Crystal Palace seemed of two minds as to whether to keep their captain and potentially lose him on a free next summer or sell him for a decent profit this summer. While waiting to see if a move for Guéhi would come to fruition, the Reds signed a highly rated 18 year old giant of a defender in Giovanni Leoni.
With plenty of business done, there were still some twist and turns on deadline day. The Reds pushed hard yet again for Isak and Guéhi, and seemed like they would finally get both deals across the line. While Newcastle finally sanctioned the deal for Isak, Crystal Palace ultimately decided not to allow Guéhi to leave despite allowing him to take a medical and having all the paperwork in and submitted except the final signatures.
In the end, Liverpool signed 8 new players for a combined reported cost of almost £420 million. Richard Hughes broke the league record for a transfer fee this summer…twice. That eye watering sums, however, were offset by £190 million in sales, leaving the Reds with a very reasonable net spend of £245 million, and that comes after Liverpool actually made a small net profit last summer.
The outgoing sales saw Liverpool move on from some experienced attackers as well as some quality young players needing a move to find playing time. After having a glut of left-sided attackers on the roster the past few seasons, Luis Diaz and Darwin Núñez were both sold for fairly significant and probably the highest Liverpool could have hoped to recoup for both players. Young promising players Jarell Quansah and Ben Doak also left for solid prices in conjunction with sell on fees as they went in search of regular playing time. Caoimhin Kelleher also was finally given the chance to earn a starting role while Richard Hughes still managed to get some value from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Harvey Elliott left for Aston Villa on a loan deal, but there is an obligation to buy next summer for and additional £35.
| Incoming Player Name | Price | Outgoing Player Name | Price |
| Alexander Isak | £125 | Luis Diaz | £60 |
| Florian Wirtz | £108 | Darwin Núñez | £46 |
| Hugo Ekitike | £82 | Jarell Quansah | £30 |
| Milos Kerkez | £41 | Ben Doak | £20 |
| Jeremie Frimpong | £35 | Caoimhin Kelleher | £13 |
| Giovanni Leoni | £27 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | £9 |
| Armin Pecsi | £1.5 | Tyler Morton | £9 |
| Freddie Woodman | Free | Nat Phillips | £3 |
| TOTAL | £420 | TOTAL | £190 |
While the club used the funds to significantly revamp their defensive unit and the the attack, there are still questions about depth. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez departing, along with the untimely death of Diogo Jota, leave Liverpool with Cody Gakpo and 17 year old Rio Ngumoha as the primary left-sided players in the attacking band. The Reds are also light at center back with stalwarts Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté backed up by the oft-injured Joe Gomez and 18 year old Giovanni Leoni. Many were hoping for an additional holding midfielder added into the mix to give Ryan Gravenberch a rest every now and again, but Wataru Endo remains the only true depth in that role.
Despite some concerns about depth, it has to be said that this has been a massive summer for Liverpool as they build their core of the future. Isak, Frimpong, Ekitike, Wirtz, and Kerkez are all starter-level players joining the squad that are 25 or younger, with Leoni expected to break through sooner rather than later. They join incumbents Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, and Ryan Gravenberch in that age bracket, with Rio Ngumoha waiting in the wings to take on a larger role. Liverpool seem primed to be a top team for some time to come.
