Heading into the summer transfer window, Liverpool knew they had plenty of work to do in the transfer market to correct last season’s squad composition issues and the departure of key veteran stars Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, and Ibrahima Konaté.
So far, that work remains largely undone. Yet in addition to that, there has also been plenty of speculation about a couple of other first team players and what the future might hold, most notably goalkeeper Alisson Becker and midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.
For new head coach Andoni Iraola, though, there’s no question. He wants Alisson and Mac Allister at the club this season—and with the other issues the squad still has that need fixing, it really is hard to imagine the squad being improved by selling either.
“I think Alexis has been one of the best players at the club the last few years and he had a very good World Cup,” Iraola noted after he and the team landed in Chicago to continue their season preparations. “So it is normal other clubs might want our best players.
“It always happens, but if possible I want to keep my good players. I’m looking forward more to signing new players rather than losing any of the ones that we have here, but also I’m very happy with the situation we have right now in the goalkeeping area.
“Alisson is someone also in a changing room that has lost some references in terms of experience. He’s someone that definitely will help us in this process of new signings, new players, young players. We need the references, the players that have been here.”
With Alisson and Mac Allister going deep at the World Cup—in the latter’s case going all the way to the final with Argentina—they will likely only return to begin pre-season preparations after the three-stop United States tour ends and the team return to England.
Liverpool pay their first friendly under Iraola on Saturday when they will face Sunderland at Geodis Park in Nashville. The Reds then travel to New York to face Wrexham at Yankee Stadium before ending the trip in Chicago against Leeds at Soldier Field.
