Evaluating Liverpool’s offseason so far

For most Premier League clubs, transfer movement has been slow so for this offseason.

With the exception of Everton, who have been signing players as if they’re playing a video game, no club has made a significant number of additions. Liverpool, having added two players to the first team squad, are one of the norm.

While the lack of transfer activity league wide should not act as excuse for Liverpool’s failure to bring in more players, it does demonstrate patience is required during the offseason. Far more is necessary than the player simply agreeing to join the club, as has been particularly evident for LFC fans this summer.

Before analyzing the reasons behind the absence of incoming transfers, the two new additions need to be discussed.  Dom Solanke from Chelsea was the first player to be added to the squad. Solanke, a striker, is only 21 but is fresh off leading the English U20 team to victory in the Under 20 World Cup. He won’t be relied on to score many goals this season but he is the type of under the radar signing that could benefit the club in the years to come. The second new face to arrive was Mohamed Salah from Egypt for a club record fee. Between Salah and Sadio Mane, LFC now has a wing partnership of the caliber similar to Premier League winning teams of past years (Giggs and Beckham at Manchester United and Duff and Robben at Chelsea come to mind). Both new players fit clear roles for the club going forward and have been reviewed as first-rate signings.

The absence of new arrivals has not been down to a lack of trying or interest for that matter. Virgil van Dijk from Southampton and Naby Keita from Redbull Leipzig have both been heavily linked to the club. In each case the asking price is over 60 million pounds. Despite the extraordinary sale price for both players, Liverpool ownership appear willing to pay. Even more surprisingly, it has been reported that the club is the first-choice destination for van Dijk and Keita. It is fair to say that this is not a scenario Liverpool fans have faced in more recent transfer windows. The fan base has become used to the club looking to develop young players, rather than spend big on the finished product.

In the cases of Keita and van Dijk however, an additional road block has appeared. Neither Southampton or RB Leipzig want to sell their star player. Smaller clubs wanting to hold onto their best talent is expected. The fact that neither club have been willing to sell for upwards of £60 million is unpredictable. With over a month before the season begins, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool ownership have time to see these transfers to fruition. If they break down, there is still time to find able replacements for Keita and van Dijk. It is too early to call Liverpool’s offseason a success yet but with good new additions already secured and clear interest from world-class talent at other clubs, LFC is heading in the right direction.