Three transactions, including the signing of Ryan Gravenberch, brought a dream finale to Liverpool’s summer.
Liverpool likes the look of Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch but there are other areas of the pitch that need to be addressed as well before the deadline.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
The clock is ticking down. In just nine days, Liverpool will not be able to make any more signings until January and Jürgen Klopp’s squad will be set until at least the mid-point in the season.
While four points from opening fixtures against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and then Bournemouth at Anfield is a respectable start, the matches are yet to come thick and fast. As the Europa League kicks in and December gets closer, the calendar will get more congested and the demands on the team will increase.
Liverpool is fine for depth at center-back with one game per week, for example, but there might soon be some question marks emerging once that increases in the near future. Nat Phillips is not the answer and he needs a move away.
Without Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia, there is also a glaring lack of a world-class option at the base of Liverpool’s midfield, with Alexis Mac Allister having been filling in for the time being. That, though, is not a permanent solution, and it remains to be seen what level Wataru Endo can reach.
For that reason, in an ideal world, more players would be added in each of those positions. Left-sided center-back is the biggest need, with back-up and an eventual successor to Virgil van Dijk required there, but after Levi Colwill signed a new contract with Chelsea, it is unclear who else could be targeted with a high enough ceiling to one day be a mainstay.
A shorter-term stop-gap might be needed in the meantime to ensure that Liverpool does not run out of options at the back, with Van Dijk’s longevity set to be harmed if he is overplayed and over-relied on.
