Liverpool Face Another Summer of Uncertainty as Squad Questions Multiply

Paul Joyce’s analysis for The Athletic paints an unsettling picture at Anfield, one that few anticipated when Liverpool surged to the Premier League title under Arne Slot. Success was meant to buy clarity and calm. Instead, the draw with Burnley, a match in which Liverpool posted their highest Premier League xG of the season at 2.9 yet still failed to win, has sharpened anxiety about both the immediate future and what lies beyond it.

Champions League qualification remains in the balance, but even that feels only part of the story. The wider concern is what Liverpool’s squad might look like by the time next season arrives. Two successive summers of upheaval were never part of the plan, yet the signs point firmly in that direction.

Defensive Decisions Creating Knock On Effects

The past week alone has underlined the fragility of Liverpool’s planning assumptions. Doubts around the futures of Ibrahima Konaté and Andrew Robertson have been compounded by Marc Guéhi’s impending move from Crystal Palace to Manchester City, removing a centre-back Liverpool had hoped to secure themselves.

Joyce poses the question starkly, “Should Konaté leave on a free transfer, are two new centre backs needed allowing for the reluctance to give Joe Gomez minutes which is, in part, due to his fitness issues? Are two necessary regardless?” It is a line that captures the scale of the dilemma. Liverpool’s defensive depth looks thinner by the week, and solutions are neither simple nor cheap.

Kostas Tsimikas’ expected return from Roma may offer short term cover should Robertson depart when his contract expires in five months, but Joyce rightly notes that this is not a long term answer. Like Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, Tsimikas is also tied only until 2027, leaving Liverpool with a defensive core edging towards contractual pressure points.

Salah, Chiesa and Right Side Concerns

Uncertainty is not confined to defence. Mohamed Salah is due back from the Africa Cup of Nations this week, yet his pre-tournament outburst against Slot has left lingering doubt over whether this represents continuity or the beginning of a farewell. If Salah’s future is unresolved, then reinforcements on the right become essential, particularly with Federico Chiesa barely featuring and widely expected to leave at the end of the campaign.

If Jeremie Frimpong is seen as an option further forward, logic dictates the need for a specialist right-back. These are not marginal tweaks but structural decisions that ripple across recruitment plans.

Midfield Balance and Missed Opportunities

The midfield, once rebuilt at considerable cost, also invites scrutiny. Joyce asks whether the current unit is ready to reclaim the title next season or requires further strengthening. Curtis Jones’ situation adds another layer, with Tottenham Hotspur interest previously noted and the player potentially questioning his long term role.

Financial planning has not been helped by stalled exits. Liverpool had expected £35million from Aston Villa for Harvey Elliott, after accommodating a loan with an appearance based obligation. That has unravelled, leaving Liverpool seeking another buyer while Elliott’s value stagnates through limited involvement.

All of this comes against the backdrop of contracts ticking down for Slot, sporting director Richard Hughes, and FSG’s CEO of football Michael Edwards, all with 18 months remaining. Even the absence of a set-piece coach feels symbolic of a club juggling too many open files at once.

Spending Big Yet Facing More Decisions

What makes this moment especially jarring is context. Liverpool spent close to £450million six months ago under the belief that a major rebuild had been completed. The expectation was evolution, not another overhaul.

There are positives. Florian Wirtz has four goals in six games, Hugo Ekitike has impressed, Milos Kerkez continues to develop, and Frimpong shows promise. Yet near misses linger. Martín Zubimendi could help Arsenal push for honours, Guéhi is City bound, and Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury halted a carefully laid plan.

Joyce concludes with a sobering truth. Liverpool may no longer be the obvious destination they were, particularly when rivals can offer wages of £300,000 per week. As ever, “it is what Liverpool do next that is the most important factor.” Right now, that list of tasks feels uncomfortably long.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

For Liverpool supporters, this report strikes a nerve because it articulates a fear many have quietly held. The title win under Slot felt like the start of stability, not another reset. Yet the sheer number of unresolved situations now creates a sense of drift.

Fans understand that squads evolve and that not every target can be landed. What unsettles is the accumulation of risk. Contracts running down together, key targets joining rivals, and financial assumptions unravelling all at once rarely end cleanly. Missing out on Champions League football would magnify every problem overnight.

There is still trust in Slot, particularly given what he has already delivered, but patience is shaped by clarity. Supporters want to know whether this is a managed transition or a reaction to events spiralling beyond control.

The positives in recruitment offer hope, yet hope alone does not cover centre-back depth, right-side succession, and midfield balance. Liverpool have navigated storms before, but this feels like a defining summer. Get it right, and the title defence becomes a blip. Get it wrong, and this period will be remembered as the moment momentum quietly slipped away.