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Why Liverpool Should Not Rush into the Market

Liverpool Football Club are due to commence pre-season training next week, with a raft of players set to begin their preparations under the reds new Head Coach, Arnie Slot. As it stands, the ongoing international tournaments will mean that many high-profile assets will be delayed in their return to the AXA Training Centre, as both the European Championships and Copa America progress to the middle ground of their respective stages. The air of expectation and speculation of incoming players is swirling around social media, therefore, to see some content of the squad back on the grass will be a welcome relief for everyone that follows the club.

How Will the First Week of Training Unfold…?

The garnering of familiarity and adjusting to his new role will be Arne Slot’s first objectives on Merseyside, as he embarks on the biggest challenge of his career. Within the halls of Liverpool ‘s headquarters, the 45-year-old would have spent an initial period preparing his coaching staff for what is to come, to make the settling in period as painless as possible. We have all seen that this huge opportunity has both excited and invigorated Jürgen Klopp’s successor, which indicates an appreciation to landing such a coveted role. As the varied transfer speculation continues to develop, the new Liverpool CEO, Michael Edwards, will have had multiple discussions with his newly appointed Sporting Director, Richard Hughes, his Head of Recruitment, Will Spearman, as well as the new Head Coach, to establish the wants and needs. There will be a list of aims that will become the bedrock of this ongoing regeneration, that will eventually involve the introduction of a multi club model. Regarding the priorities at hand, there are a handful of players who will require their contract situations attending to as soon as possible. The club captain, Virgil van Dijk, his vice-captain, Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as the Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah, will all enter the final year of their respective deals very soon, therefore, a decision will have to be made by the Sporting Heads to find resolutions. I have little doubt that the decision makers will be desperate to keep all three and build the team around their elite level talents. As for the want-away winger, Luis Díaz, it is possible that the Colombian flyer is still looking at pastures new, which could lead to move to either Barcelona or PSG. I suspect that several fringe players such as Kostas Tsimikas, Fábio Carvalho, Caoimhin Kelleher, Sepp van den Berg, and Tyler Morton, will all desire a discussion to determine what comes next for their Anfield careers. If all five of those assets were sold on in the month of July, the Liverpool executives could look to build a war chest to assemble the ideal squad.

 When Will Much of the Incoming Activity Take Place?

For those still on active international duty, there can be no resolution to their futures until they return to Merseyside. I am hopeful that the record-breaking scorer, Mohamed Salah, can reach an agreement and extend his deal in the next fortnight, however, his captain and vice-captain will have to wait to have their futures resolved towards the end of July. In terms of acquisitions, there will almost certainly be deals in the pipeline that ensure new players are brought to the club before the end of August. The simple fact is that two months remain in this summer transfer window, meaning a duty of care is required given that some players could become injured whilst representing their nations. The need for extended patience is a reluctant necessity within the fanbase, yet the knowledge and clarity that so much time remains (to complete transactions) must be understood despite the demand for new signings.

As a team that finished third in the Premier League season last term, there must be an ambition to become title challenges in year one of this new era. The expectation of success remains the target of this historical club, something that will be enforced by all those involved in driving the team forward. The unknown occurrences of these summer competitions may see the need to adjust and pivot, especially if any squad members were to become injured in this next month. Due to this harsh reality, it is now time to trust the experience and expertise of the men that will oversee the future of Liverpool v2.0, even if it means having to wait until the final days of the window.

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