‘The short answer is…’ – The Athletic journos explain Liverpool’s transfer window inactivity
Liverpool and Fulham are the only two Premier League clubs yet to secure a permanent signing in the summer transfer window so far, with 40 days having elapsed since the market opened.
The lack of incoming players has been a worry for many supporters, although a joint report in The Athletic from James Pearce, Gregg Evans and Andy Jones has explored why Arne Slot’s squad hasn’t been topped up going into the last week of July.
In a section headlined ‘Is it surprising Liverpool haven’t done any incoming business yet?’, it was said: ‘The short answer is: yes. It’s rare for any top club to get almost to the end of July without strengthening their squad, especially when there has been a change of manager that summer.’
However, three ‘understandable’ reasons were cited for the transfer window dormancy up to now – the head coach’s desire to assess the squad that he inherited from Jurgen Klopp, Richard Hughes pointing to Euro 2024/Copa America delaying activity until later than usual, and the Reds not having ‘any big gaps to fill following summer outgoings’.
Liverpool have tended not to indulge in any wild spending sprees under FSG’s ownership, with either a series of relatively modest transfers or one/two big-money signings (e.g. Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker) when the moment was right.
That said, it’s still surprising that, for all the rumours which have done the rounds, there hasn’t been any first-team player seemingly on the brink of joining the Reds. The pursuit of Leny Yoro has been the most concrete link so far this summer, but Manchester United were willing to pay more than their Merseyside rivals for the teenage defender.
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To be fair, Hughes had tempered expectations somewhat by stressing that July was always likely to be a quiet month on the transfer front before activity would ramp up in August. That statement may have bought LFC time, but we’re close to entering the final month of the current window.
If we’re not already there, then we’re rapidly approaching the point where Liverpool need to hit the turbo and show serious intent in the market while they still have the opportunity to bolster Slot’s squad.
To say that it’ll be a pivotal month is an understatement, but if the Reds’ recruitment team deliver a few of the signings that they’d been targeting by the time the 30 August deadline passes, we should be in a position to enjoy a strong first season under the new head coach.
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