Managing Liverpool as £87m transfer agreed and ruthless Salah decision made | Football | Sport
Liverpool were on cloud nine at the start of the season but have ultimately endured a turbulent Premier League campaign. Fresh from winning the title last summer, they splurged hundreds of millions of pounds on some of the world’s very best players. The likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike all moved to Anfield and it looked like they would be unbeatable yet again.
However, things have panned out very differently with Liverpool standing next to no chance of retaining their Premier League crown. They have also been ravaged by injuries, especially in defence, which has made life significantly harder for Arne Slot. Next season will provide a new opportunity for Liverpool to get it right and there is plenty of time for the Reds to fine-tune their preparations.
Express Sport looks at what they should do to ensure another title challenge in 2026/27…
£87m transfer agreed
The first thing Liverpool should do is steal a march on their rivals by agreeing a deal to sign Yan Diomande ahead of next summer.
The winger, who is reportedly valued at £87million by RB Leipzig, has emerged as one of the Bundesliga’s brightest sparks and is thought to be attracting no shortage of Premier League interest.
Liverpool are reportedly preparing to battle the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal for his signature, with time of the essence when it comes to snapping him up.
Of course, they won’t be able to finalise a deal until the summer, but they have months to get everything in place ahead of schedule.
Salah exit decision made
Diomande would be the perfect long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah, who looks destined to leave Anfield sooner rather than later.
He has remained at Liverpool following his public bust-up with Arne Slot but is still being linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League ahead of the summer window.
Salah’s influence has diminished over the course of this season and the Reds would benefit from cashing in when the market re-opens in June.
It could be their final opportunity to command a decent-sized transfer fee for Salah, who is due to become a free agent in the summer of 2027.
However, the Black Cats were unable to find a replacement in time and the deal was called off, even though the player was keen to move to Anfield.
It could be one for Liverpool to revisit in the summer as they look to avoid a repeat of the shortages they have faced in the right-back area this season.
Conor Bradley is prone to injuries and Jeremie Frimpong has been primarily used higher up the pitch, meaning there is scope for another right-sided defender to arrive in the near future.
