Liverpool will hold a regular meeting of the management department in early September, right after the transfer window closes. At the present time, the football board led by Richard Hughes has a clear priority: strengthening the squad.
The Kop have about a week left to complete the job in the transfer market and the pressure is very high. The current squad is quite thin, unbalanced and needs to be added in many positions. However, their budget is not enough to solve all the problems at the same time.
A source compares Liverpool's situation to "a boat with six leaks but only enough people to block a few". If they put most of the budget into one or two positions, they will have to accept other gaps.
The problem becomes even more complex as Liverpool prepares to operate under the philosophy of Andoni Iraola. Wingers and central midfielders are two areas that need to be added, while the energetic playing style of the Spanish strategist requires squad depth in almost every position.
This playing style sets high requirements for fitness. When there are no quality backup plans, the fact that key players have to play continuously can lead to the risk of overload and injuries.
Therefore, Liverpool needs to strengthen their forces in many aspects but must calculate very carefully. Unlike last summer, they no longer have enough financial space to comfortably spend money on big deals.
Liverpool is no longer in a comfortable position like last summer
Liverpool's pursuit of Alexander Isak further highlights this change. Last summer, the Merseyside team was willing to spend £125 million for the Swedish striker, after spending nearly £200 million on other strikers.
At that time, the "Red Brigade" pursued a fairly clear strategy: prioritizing players of the highest quality, instead of allocating resources to many positions at the same time.
A year later, the situation changed. Last summer's large investment has not brought about commensurate efficiency, while the current squad still has many gaps.
That is why the last week of the transfer window may become tense. Liverpool must find ways to strengthen the force but cannot repeat the lavish spending style as before.
The fact that they are pursuing Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain for a price believed to be more than 110 million pounds also raises questions. Arsenal once did not accept this fee, while Liverpool still pays significant attention to the French winger.
If the Barcola deal is successful, Liverpool can balance a part of the budget by selling Cody Gakpo. However, everything still depends on the diễn biến of the market in the last days.
According to sources, in the ideal scenario, Liverpool needs about six new players to complete the squad. In fact, they are likely only able to bring in two or three more players, and must consider the possibility of some people leaving.
Liverpool's leadership expects the final additions to make a big difference. Otherwise, the September meeting could become a time for Richard Hughes to look back at a transfer window that has not solved all the problems of the team.
