A sign of how well the Arne Slot era has begun at Liverpool was reflected in reporters’ line of questioning this season.
After making it two wins out of two by beating Brentford last month, Slot was asked if he felt it was “all coming together” — a question he wasn’t in a hurry to play down. Then, after the convincing 3-0 win at Manchester United, the follow-up line was, “Could that have gone any better?”
It has been remarkable start to life at one of the most-discussed clubs in world football, but if The Athletic’s fan survey on the club’s summer is anything to go by, Liverpool supporters aren’t fully convinced about prospects for the new campaign just yet.
Not that they’re particularly worried about Slot being given the mammoth job of replacing Jurgen Klopp. In fact the early signs are promising from a coaching, decision-making, tactical and personality point of view.
It’s the business in the transfer window that is causing concern. Liverpool wanted a top-class holding midfielder and put all their focus into Martin Zubimendi at Real Sociedad but were unable to convince him to leave the Basque country. The subsequent decision to not pursue an alternative left supporters with split feelings.
Only 40 per cent were happy with Liverpool’s summer transfer window, with fans seemingly worried that more business was needed, particularly in midfield and defence, to stengthen a squad that fell short in the closing weeks of last season. As the results show below, more than 55 per cent of the fanbase are either unhappy or unsure how to sum up the summer.
Instead the window was relatively low-key. The signing of Federico Chiesa from Juventus is an upgrade on Ben Doak, who was sent out on loan to Middlesbrough, and Liverpool also moved to strengthen the goalkeeper department by signing Giorgi Mamardashvili for €30million (£25.3m; $33.2m) plus €5m in add-ons before loaning him back to Valencia.
Both players will strengthen the squad: Chiesa adds to an already strong forward line and gives Slot another option ahead of the Champions League return; and Mamardashvili, at 23, is recognised as one of the most talented emerging goalkeepers in the world.
With limited options to choose from it’s no surprise that the signing of Chiesa is recognised as the best deal struck by the club this summer.
Midfield and defence are the areas supporters would most like to see addressed. Liverpool let Joel Matip leave when his contract expired this summer and then sold Sepp van den Berg to Brentford in a deal worth up to £25m.
With Joe Gomez linked with a move away all summer — Newcastle United showed serious interest, alongside a number of other clubs — a refresh in that department was possible but in the end remained unchanged. Restructuring will become more pertinent if Virgil van Dijk or Trent Alexander-Arnold fail to agree a contract extension and leave next summer. For now, however, 60 per cent of supporters feel there is not enough cover on the back of Matip’s exit.
Whether Liverpool have enough in midfield is also a hot topic. Ryan Gravenberch has settled into the deep-lying role under Slot but tougher tests await. Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones are alternative options to consider, as Stefan Bajcetic has left on loan.
Despite initial concerns that Liverpool were allowing too many of their youngsters to leave, either temporarily or on permanent deals, 75 per cent of supporters say they’re comfortable with the number of outgoings.
After securing loan moves in the Championship, the likes of Doak and Lewis Koumas have the potential to grow in value this season and then become greater assets for the club in a year’s time.
So what about the bigger picture?
The international fixtures came at a good time for Liverpool as it allowed for a short break, a change of scenery and a mini-debrief. There shouldn’t be too many issues with the players returning from South America, either.
Argentina play Colombia in a re-run of the Copa America final on Tuesday night, Uruguay play Venezuela, and Brazil take on Paraguay early on Wednesday morning, meaning that Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Alisson will all return with enough time to rest and recover ahead of Saturday’s home game with Nottingham Forest.
Slot had some downtime himself, returning to the Netherlands to see family, but the focus by the end of this week will be continuing to build on momentum.
Just over half of Liverpool supporters feel the squad is stronger this season compared to last but only 32 per cent are more hopeful that it will lead to a better campaign.
This testing run of fixtures before Christmas will tell us more and indicate as to whether more business is required in January when the transfer window reopens.
(Top photo: Nikki Dyer – LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
