So far this summer, Liverpool have let more players go than perhaps they would’ve liked, and not brought in as many as they need, and that has left a former club legend suggesting that they’ve had a lukewarm window at best, with a scattergun approach to transfers.
Although the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai are reasonable enough hires, the pursuit of Moises Caicedo for a record fee has left Stan Collymore believing that the Reds have resorted to panic buying.
“Liverpool’s transfer window has been average. I mean, Mac Allister, very good, eight out of 10 signing. Szoboszlai, one for the future, seven out of 10 – but this is in the context of losing Henderson, Milner, Firmino, Naby Keita…,” he said in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
“The very least a club like Liverpool should be doing if they’re having a massive clear out, is to have a massive amount of incomings, and I’d say they’ve left themselves maybe two short, three players short.”
Over the course of the past few seasons, Liverpool have tended to get their business done early on in the transfer window.
It isn’t clear why they’ve not done so in the current market, and whilst supporters will surely look at things and just want the club to throw money at the problem, Jurgen Klopp has never worked like that and so if the deal isn’t right for whatever reason, that’s his and his recruitment team’s prerogative.
“Liverpool’s recruitment department historically has been very good, but for me, looking to break the British transfer record late in the day doesn’t bode well and it comes across as panicking to me,” Collymore added.
“Liverpool have always been one of those clubs that have been on the starting blocks. You look at City, they want Paqueta, they want Gvardiol, and you could say both of those are late in the day, but you’re adding to a treble-winning squad. Liverpool are adding to try and get back on par with Manchester City, and in terms of Liverpool’s business overall, I’d give them a five or six.”
With the first game of the season ahead this weekend, Collymore’s old club have left themselves very light in midfield, and that could come back and bite them.
The last thing that the Reds want to be doing is playing catch up to the likes of Man City, Arsenal and others straight off the bat.
“Their first choice midfield is not as battle tested as any as the top five or six really, they just don’t know what it will be like under pressure in the Premier League, so I think another midfielder is needed for sure,” Collymore concluded.
“I’m a little bit concerned that Liverpool seem to be having a bit of a scattergun approach to anybody that’s available and so it’s a lukewarm window for Liverpool and perhaps an over reliance at the beginning part of the season on a very, very good attacking department.”