Liverpool are set for another summer of spending.
The Reds parted with over £400million ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign. Close to 75% of that went on new forwards in the shape of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. And yet Liverpool are reportedly are looking to bring in a minimum of two new big-money attackers this summer.
The likes of Yan Diomande, Bradley Barcola, Bazoumana Toure and Anthony Gordon have all been linked, with Liverpool seemingly desperate to add pace to their frontline.
There’s been a lot of focus this season on Liverpool’s struggles in the offensive third. Mo Salah has scored just seven league goals in what has been a difficult final campaign with the Reds. Isak scored his third of the season in the recent win over Crystal Palace while Wirtz has five league goals. Ekitike is Liverpool’s top scorer, but he’s now ruled out until 2027.
Unless there are a lot of goals in the final two matches, Ekitike will likely be the only Liverpool player to hit double digits in the league this season. Last season, Liverpool had three players with at least 10 and Salah finished on 29, as the Reds coasted to the Premier League title.
The general consensus is that Salah’s abrupt decline, coupled with injuries to Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak has been the decisive factor in Liverpool’s attacking troubles. But are the Reds’ issues in the final third really tied to personnel?
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Anti-attacking system
Arne Slot sets Liverpool up in a way that isn’t necessarily conducivev to attacking football. He seeks control and a lot of the time, it’s possession football for the sake of it.
Liverpool move the ball from side to side, looking for an opening, but rarely play a probing pass in behind. The game is played in front of the opposition, and it’s far too easy for them to manage the situation.
It’s why Liverpool have taken a high number of shots in a game but racked up a relatively low Expected Goals haul on numerous occasions this season. Frustration eventually gets the better of the players, and they’ll take a pot-shot from distance.
It’s evident when looking at xG this season. Only Manchester City and Chelsea have attempted more passes than Liverpool’s 19,237, and only Manchester United have had more shots than their 549. But the Reds rank sixth in the Premier League for xG.
Man City and Chelsea, meanwhile, rank first and third, respectively, while Man Utd are fourth. Possession usually leads to decent opportunities, but possession without purpose or intent leads to nothing. Liverpool do the latter rather than the former.
It’s likely why the top two Liverpool players for shots this season are those who would fall into the high-volume, low-threat category in Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai. And the player you’d ideally want taking shots aren’t having anywhere near as many as they would in a functional attack.
A change in personnel
The Liverpool attack doesn’t need fixing. Yes, Salah will need to be replaed and depth is required — especially after going into the 2025-26 campaign undercooked in certain areas.
But if the Reds want to get their forward players firing, the supply line needs to be looked at. Adding a Diomande or a Barcola isn’t a magic fix. Everything else needs to be addressed, otherwise you’re simply relying on individuals to produce something special.
Is it sustainable? No.
Slot is well aware of this too. It’s why he talked about Isak’s struggles and mentioned something important back in December.
“The main difference for him is that we are facing a low block many times. It is not that it never happened at Newcastle, but not as much I think. This season, the league has changed, we see so many more low blocks than last season.
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“But I see this not only against us, I see this in many games. It makes it harder for him compared to his time at Newcastle, but I think it is also him adjusting to his teammates and his teammates adjusting to him. But it is obvious and clear that we do not have the profile of Jacob Murphy, for example, available at this moment at this time.”
At the time, people took that to mean Slot wanted a Murphy at Liverpool. Someone with pace in attack to just cross the ball. But Slot has used Jeremie Frimpong on the right in recent weeks. He’s someone who is quick and can cross the ball. And it hasn’t been a solution to the attacking issues, has it?
Adding quality will undoubtedly help Liverpool. But the Reds’ biggest problem heading into the summer is their buildup. They can’t move the ball quick enough to get into their attacks in favourable scenarios. Until those in charge look at that, and come up with a fix, no individuals are going to bring the attack to the required level for a title challenge.