Two seasons ago, Liverpool won the Premier League title. They did so with the spine of a Jurgen Klopp-formulated side, and the Herculean efforts of a recently departed Mohamed Salah.
Flash forward to the present day, and Liverpool aren’t anywhere near the heights they reached in the 2024-25 term, despite parting with over £500 million to secure the services of an under-performing Florian Wirtz, an injured Hugo Ekitike, a recently returned Alexander Isak, and others additions.
Ahead of January, FourFourTwo have devised Liverpool’s dream transfer window, with signings made for the midfield and the Reds’ virtually empty right flank.
Alex Scott (Bournemouth)
A bit of an obvious one, right? Liverpool are practically begging for additional cover in midfield. In Scott’s case, this transfer would, naturally, be anything but ‘cover.’
By signing the Bournemouth man, who was recently revealed to be up for sale come January, with Chelsea also lurking, Liverpool’s midfield would entirely transform.
In its current state, it is weak, ageing, injury-prone, and overly reliant on youngsters (looking at you, Trey Nyoni) that should be given greater time to develop, not carry the Reds’ burden.
Scott offers a bit of everything, not least his immense press resistance. There’s a reason he looked so special under a heavy-metal manager in Iraola when the pair combined at Bournemouth, and there’s nothing to suggest it couldn’t be replicated at Anfield.
The fee will be ludicrous, sure, but that’s life in the Premier League, and global, transfer market. Pay up, immediately, and keep Scott away from Stanford Bridge.
Givairo Read (Feyenoord)
Liverpool’s right-back spot will never quite be the same. That’s the harsh reality, Trent Alexander-Arnold was a once-in-a-generation talent; now, he’s gone.
Luckily for Liverpool, that reality can be comforting, if they choose to accept it. Instead of scouring the transfer market far and wide looking for a like-for-like replacement for the Scouser, they should consider adding greater depth to the right-back position.
Jeremie Frimpong is a ludicrously poor option for any Premier League title-contending unit to carry with them at right-back, and that’s where Liverpool want to be. Conor Bradley’s injury woes are a concern; at his best, he was magnificent, but even his consistency, albeit superior to that of Frimpong, was lacking in comparison to the Reds’ ambition.
Bring in Givairo Read. He’s been linked prior, possesses clear defensive talent, can road forward when required, will be available for a reasonable price, and he’ll be the third in an ever-rotating right-back line-up that can receive rest, and grow hungry.
Plus, he has five assists in nine games for Feyenoord this season. That’s nothing to scoff at. Let this trio battle it out to claim the right-back spot, and one might just end up pushing themselves to limits that prove worthy of Liverpool’s standards.
Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace)
Even more so than Alexander-Arnold, now that Salah has left the club, Liverpool’s right wing will never be the same. Not even close. Again, that’s fine; accept the truth of the situation and move accordingly. The Reds’ only option is to replace the Egyptian ‘in the aggregate,’ and even that’ll be a tough feat.
It’s clear that Liverpool need to bring in a quick, tricky forward that can bag them around 8-10 Premier League goals each season, to add to the 25-40 strikes brought by the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo.
What Sarr offers is Premier League-proven quality and a clear desire to play at Anfield. He was linked to the Reds in the summer, and they’ll no doubt be keeping tabs on the Senegalese star ahead of January.
His fee will be too high for what he’s worth, but the market is sorely lacking. Liverpool need a natural right wing option, and to let Rio Ngumoha develop in his ideal position, so Sarr is the clear choice. A strong, quick finisher - he’ll surely get at least 20% of the goal contributions for Liverpool that Salah used to bag from the right.
He’s a stronger option than Yankuba Minteh at a comparable price, and, as shown at the World Cup this summer, various Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, and in his exploits versus Liverpool, undoubtedly a better man for the big occasion.
