Big questions hanging over Liverpool's forced ‘rebuild’

Arne Slot has seen plenty of player turnover this summer in his Premier League-winning squad

- writes Richard Jolly

The big spender argued he isn't that big a net spender. The manager who added a £100m playmaker, a £69m striker and a pair of new fullbacks still isn't sure if his squad is stronger than his Premier League-winning version.

Arne Slot succeeded after a summer of inactivity in the market. Now, as Liverpool are setting records in the transfer window, the Dutchman is trying to place his expenditure into context and waiting to see how the class of 2025-26 compare to their immediate predecessors.

Is this an upgrade? “That is something I can only tell you on the first of September, because the window is still three weeks open,” said Slot. And if that contained the possibility of another attacking addition, such as Alexander Isak, Slot insisted that, in both his forward line and the centre of defence, he has ample options if no one else joins.

Amid the hyperbole and frenzy of the cultural obsession with transfers, outgoings can be camouflaged by incomings, and Slot noted: “We’ve also lost starters that have had a big impact on our title-winning season last year.” That, he feels, is not being talked about enough.