This summer was noticeably quiet, with just Federico Chiesa coming through the door, who has been predominantly injured during his stay so far, while Giorgi Mamardashvili is not set to arrive until next season as part of a condition of his transfer.
And in addition to the lack of transfers on the Red side of Merseyside, there also exists the possibility of a mass exodus, as Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk still have uncertain futures as a result of the stalled ongoing contract negotiations with Liverpool executives.
Each player will be allowed to enter talks with other clubs from January 1 and unless significant breakthroughs are made in agreeing terms for an extended stay with the Reds, Liverpool will be without some/all of their core spine next season.
The ongoing contract saga
It is unlikely that Liverpool will only just be paying attention to the contract crisis that awaits them, with negotiations likely to have been taking place over the last few years.
However, given the different profiles of the players, despite each of them playing a monumental role in the success of this Liverpool side over the past half a decade, reaching agreements is less than straightforward.
Trent remains in the prime of his career, but he has not experienced life at a different football club before and has notable ambitions that he is hoping to achieve in the remainder of his time on the pitch – such as winning the Ballon d’Or as a fullback, which may be more achievable at a club like Real Madrid.
In addition, Van Dijk, who has been staggeringly good since his ACL tear in 2020, finds himself nearing the end of his career, and although he remains one of the elite Premier League defenders, the club’s willingness to invest in a player whose attributes could deteriorate is a valid concern.
And then we come to Salah, who continues to put up the same consistent and world-class attacking numbers that he did when he joined in 2017.
Now in his eighth season, it is beyond belief that the Egyptian King is still as effective as he used to be and so his reliability cannot be dismissed.
But while already on a reported wage of £350,000 a week, there is little in cash terms that Liverpool can offer him, without significantly damaging the wage structure in the long term, and amidst interest from the wealthy PIF-funded Saudi Pro League, Salah may want to cash-in before his retirement.
Given the significance of potentially losing Salah this summer, the club have already been looking at possible replacements, should contract extension negotiations collapse in the end.
