10 players Liverpool can sign in the summer transfer window

In contrast to the 2017/18 season where Liverpool had a similar style of play regardless of the opposition, 2018/19 season saw the Reds employing two formations. That change paid dividends for the Reds as it added stability to their defense while retaining the attacking flair which took them to the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2018.  

When facing teams which didn’t sit back, Klopp turned to the more conservative 4-3-3 formation. By fielding three central midfielders, Klopp tried to provide cover to the Liverpool defense which came under much scrutiny due to its failures last season.

However, when facing teams which sit back, defend deep and try to attack on the counter, Liverpool often adopted the more attack-minded 4-2-3-1 formation. Salah was fielded at the tip of Liverpool’s attack whereas the likes of Shaqiri, Firmino, and Mane were right behind him.

Both these systems were hugely successful, as evident by Liverpool’s position in the Premier League table. Yet, there were areas in both these systems where Liverpool lacked. Strengthen in these areas and the club could challenge for the prizes with a renewed vigor next season.

Assuming that every Liverpool fan agrees that the arrival of Alisson Becker has resolved their long-standing goalkeeping problem, here are the other areas where Liverpool are well and truly stocked.

A mere glance at both the abovementioned formations, and it is easy to see that Liverpool don’t need to do much when it comes to the heart of their defense.

The arrival of Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton has added steel to their back four whereas Joe Gomez (before injury ruled him out for the season) also showed signs of a mature defender.

On the bench is Dejan Lovren who, despite having an underwhelming Liverpool career, enjoyed probably the best season of his Liverpool tenure. Matip wasn’t bad either as suggested by the performances he put in when both Lovren and Gomez were sidelined due to respective injuries.

Klopp’s decision to allow Nathaniel Clyne to leave on loan in the middle of the season nearly backfired as the departure of the Englishman was followed by an untimely injury to Alexander Arnold. Liverpool felt the need for a regular right back as both Milner and Fabinho struggled when put in that position.

Still, assuming that Klopp won’t allow Clyne to make his loan move to Bournemouth permanent in the summer, there’s no reason for the Reds to go and buy a new right back. Doing that might put pressure on Alexander Arnold which, considering the form he has shown for Liverpool, would be unfair to the talented right back.

Likewise, Andrew Robertson once again showed why most Liverpool fans consider him the bargain of the 21^st century for the club. Despite costing a paltry £8 million when he moved from Hull City in 2017, Robertson is putting in performances which are befitting ten-times the price Liverpool paid for his services.

Given the transfer fee Liverpool paid to secure his services, most Liverpool fans expected Fabinho to hit the road running following his €50 million move from AS Monaco in the summer. The Brazilian, however, was slow to take off and was also linked with a shock move away from Liverpool in January.

To his credit, Jurgen Klopp kept faith in his signing, a wise move considering the performances of Fabinho in the 2^nd half of the 2018/19 season. The Brazilian not only silenced his critics but also became an integral part of the Liverpool team as it challenged for the title. With him in such fine form, it would be foolhardy for the Reds to sign a 2^nd defensive midfielder in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Now that we’ve identified the areas where Liverpool have the best player for the position, let’s look at those areas where the club could strengthen in the summer transfer window.

With the breakdown of Nabil Fekir’s transfer in the summer and the injury to Chamberlain in the early stages of the 2018/19 season, Liverpool were on their bare bones when it comes to their attacking midfield department.

True, Georginio Wijnaldum did his level best to fill that role but the Dutch midfielder isn’t a natural goal-scoring midfielder. Similar could be said about Adam Lallana whose troubles with injuries have robbed Liverpool of a potentially fantastic goal-scoring midfielder.

Under such circumstances – and when Chamberlain having a history of injuries – Liverpool could ill-afford to go into the 2019/20 season with the same set of attacking midfielders. That means that the club needs to splash the cash to strengthen in this particular position.

Go through the list of Liverpool players that suffered injuries during the 2018/19 season, and you’d notice that the club wasn’t too lucky in this department. Still, two Liverpool players who managed to get through the season relatively unscathed were Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah.

That was a huge blessing for Liverpool as the duo chipped in to score more than 33% of all Liverpool goals during the time period. That stat indicates how much Liverpool depended on their African duo for their goal-scoring exploits.

However, with both the players involved in the African Cup of Nations in the 2019’s summer, Liverpool shouldn’t expect them to be at their best at the start of the next season. As a result, the club should make signings to relieve the burden of their attacking duo.

The 2018/19 season was a curious one for Roberto Firmino. While his energy levels and pressing of the opposition were at their terrific best yet again, the Brazilian forward wasn’t at his flying best when it came to goals scored.

However, with Origi and Sturridge on the bench – none of whom can match the high-pressing work ethic of Firmino – Klopp didn’t have many options to choose from.

Therefore, the summer transfer window gives Klopp a chance to bring in a new striker who, even if he isn’t world class, should match the Brazilian’s work rate and give Liverpool another attacking outlet.