Liverpool kick off their 2026/27 Premier League campaign in a little under three weeks.
Despite the noise coming out of the club, the Reds still have a lot to do to get this squad right for new manager Andoni Iraola.
Officially, two new players have been signed, though the deal to bring in Jeremy Jacquet was sorted in January. The only other transfer the 2024/25 Premier League champions have completed during the off-season is the one to bring Victor Munoz to the club.
That felt more opportunistic than planned with the Reds hijacking Newcastle's attempt to sign the versatile attacker. It was then a straightforward deal to do due to his release clause.
Since then, Liverpool have tried and failed to sign Yan Diomande. The RB Leipzig winger seemed open to a switch to Anfield before his representatives made it clear that he favoured a move to Paris Saint-Germain, only for a deal to then be agreed with Real Madrid.
The Merseyside club pivoted and made Bradley Barcola their top priority but at the time of writing, a deal is far from close with PSG reportedly holding out for £140million. Liverpool, by comparison, value the Frenchman at closer to £100million.
So that transfer, for now at least, is at a standstill.
Away from that, nothing appears to be happening. At least not outwardly. And yet there’s so much to do for Liverpool in the remaining few weeks of the transfer window.
The three pre-season games played by the Reds so far have done nothing to put the concerns of many to bed.
A 4-2 win over Sunderland was followed up by a narrow 1-0 victory over Wrexham. Iraola’s side then surrendered a 2-0 lead against Leeds to lose 4-2.
Now, pre-season fixtures mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Especially not those played during a World Cup summer. Alisson Becker, Victor Munoz, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo are still yet to join up with the squad while Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have only just returned.
Jacquet has yet to kick a ball for the Reds, missing all three pre-season friendlies so far.
🤩 "Calvert-Lewin makes it FOUR!" pic.twitter.com/mEEi882OWi
— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 2, 2026
It’s been a case of the former Bournemouth boss making do with what has been available to him. And while the squad is going to be stronger than it was in those opening three matches of the Iraola era, there are still gaping holes in this squad that simply cannot be ignored.
The lack of movement in the transfer market, coupled with the limited number of links, is now becoming a little worrisome.
There are still concerns over the right-back situation. Jeremie Frimpong is the only senior option there right now with Conor Bradley out for the foreseeable, Joe Gomez out for at least a month and Calvin Ramsay in career purgatory.
At centre-back, the squad is threadbare. Gomez is out. Jacquet is an unknown even though he should be fit for the start of the season, he won’t have that many minutes in his legs. It is a concern.
Giovanni Leoni is out still too leaving Van Dijk as the only option. Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who has impressed in pre-season, can’t be registered due to work permit issues.
Liverpool have a number of hugely talented youngsters in this position, but they lack quality and depth right now. A centre-back-cum-right-back could solve a lot of problems for Iraola.
In midfield, there are question marks. Curtis Jones is a target for Inter and could soon depart. Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott appear to be square pegs in round holes when assessing this squad and could leave. They’re bodies but they aren’t necessarily usable for the Iraola.
Mac Allister will soon return and while Trey Nyoni has been one of the standout performers in pre-season, you can make an argument for the Reds needing one more in to replace Jones if he does move to Inter, especially when you factor in Dominik Szoboszlai’s versatility will likely take him away from the midfield department.
In attack, there’s probably even more to do. Hugo Ekitike is ruled out until the New Year. Gakpo is being linked with a move away from Anfield with Spurs keen and the Reds still haven’t replaced Mohamed Salah. Barcola could arrive but would that be enough?
Iraola would go into the season with an attack made up of Wirtz, Isak, Gakpo, Barcola, Chiesa, Munoz and Rio Ngumoha. He could also go into the season with an attack made up of Wirtz, Isak, Barcola, Munoz and Ngumoha.
Munoz and Ngumoha need to be managed next season. Barcola is an unknown in the Premier League. Wirtz needs a big season but who knows what that looks like while Isak isn’t a guarantee in terms of availability. The Reds would need another winger at least, even after signing Munoz and Barcola.
It isn’t looking good for Liverpool right now.
If you compare this season to last, they’ve essentially swapped Jacquet for Konate and Munoz for Salah. And they head into the campaign with long-term injuries to Leoni, Bradley and Ekitike.
Though there have been positive signs in pre-season with Iraola putting his stamp on things, he’s not a miracle worker, he’s going to need quality players in to support the depth of this squad if he’s to get them pushing for the top four.
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