Online Reporter
LIVERPOOL were heavy favourites to retain the Premier League crown this season from the moment they won their 20th title at a stroll in the spring.
Arne Slot’s first season as head coach proceeded with Liverpool virtually unchallenged from Christmas onwards, sealing the formalities with four matches left and ending 10 points clear.
Liverpool’s reaction to that was to embark on the biggest summer spending spree in European football history – £415m spent on recruiting a stellar collection of talent.
The previous record was the £400m spent by Chelsea in summer 2023 – and Liverpool would have spent £35m more had a deal for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi not collapsed as the window closed.
If Liverpool were tipped as champions before this blockbuster outlay, surely title number 21 is now a formality?
It is early to make such a defining judgement, but it is even harder to look beyond Liverpool as champions as the window closes than it was before.
As the window closed on Monday, Liverpool had broken the previous British transfer record – potentially twice. They signed Germany international Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100m, rising to a possible £116m.
Then they blew that out of the water when ending the summer’s biggest transfer soap opera by landing Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak for £125m, which the Magpies say could jump to £130m with add-ons.
Liverpool, top of the Premier League with maximum points from three games, had only one hitch on deadline day, when the Guehi move fell down because the Eagles could not find a suitable replacement.
Liverpool’s other big-money incomings were £69m striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, full-backs Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen and Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for a combined £70m, along with Italian teenage defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma for £26m plus add-ons.
It amounts to the most concerted and expensive squad strengthening by any team in recent summers, although Liverpool did deal shrewdly with big sales such as those of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoiminh Kelleher and Ben Gannon-Doak, recouping in the region of £210m in all.
Put simply, it is a recruitment drive that looks to have blown Liverpool’s rivals out of the water, irrespective of the ambitious efforts of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.
Slot won the title after keeping his powder dry financially a year ago, but he will now be expected to deliver one of the major prizes, namely the Premier League or Champions League, after such unprecedented cash backing.
It increases the pressure on Slot to deliver because anything but a major trophy will be failure in these circumstances – but those who predicted another title for Liverpool before the start of the season will be even more confident now, especially after glancing at the current table. – BBC Sport
