Liverpool shelled out £450 million last summer in their attempts to rebuild their title-winning side, which came as a shock to many. Almost 12 months on, the foundations have been unstable, therefore money is expected to be spent once again.
In order for the Reds to continue to challenge teams for elite talent available in the window, players at the club will have to be sold. Two players who are potentially for sale over the summer are Joe Gomez and academy graduate Curtis Jones.
Many Kopites would agree that the squad Arne Slot has at his disposal is already too small, especially when you compare it to teams they should be competing with in Manchester City and Arsenal. For the Reds to have a full 25-man squad, they must have eight homegrown eligible players.
While the centre back didn’t come through the academy, he was registered with an English club three years before he turned 21. We’ve seen the Reds try to take advantage of this by signing stars to the academy like Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni, though a lot of these signings haven’t made significant advancements through the youth tiers.
Harvey Elliott is someone who meets the criteria, though with how his loan move to Aston Villa has been handled, it’s difficult to imagine him within the squad next season, even if a change is made in the managerial position.
| Players for 2026/27 HWG quota |
|---|
| Freddie Woodman |
| Vitezslav Jaros |
| Conor Bradley |
| Jeremie Frimpong |
| Stefan Bajcetic |
| James McConnell |
At this stage, there are just six players who would meet the requirements, though none of them have a stake to remain in the first team, and that includes Jeremie Frimpong. There have been rumours that Slot’s side could dive into the fullback market this summer, which could see him become second fiddle at the back or further forward on the right wing.
The rule on U21S is different, which could see players like Nguomha, Nyoni, Kieran Morrison and new signing Jeremy Jacquet join up with the squad without needing to be registered in the Premier League squad.
This is something that is crucial to how Liverpool can overcome the tricky circumstances they find themselves in. They have been heavily linked with 19-year-old winger Yan Diomande, RB Leipzig’s electric attacking force. They have also been linked with another African talent in the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim’s Bazoumana Toure.
These are the gems the club need to consider, while perhaps not ideal to the structure set by Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards to best build the club into a dominant force once again, it’s the position they find themselves in, and they could do far worse than considering the duo.
What could Liverpool’s window look like
Luckily for the Reds, it doesn’t seem like their homegrown quota will be the only area which sees players depart Merseyside this summer. Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah have both confirmed they will be leaving. Ibrahima Konate has yet to sign a new deal to remain at Anfield, while Alisson is being touted to join Juventus.
This will open up spaces in the squad for non-homegrown players to join the club. One of those could be Marcos Senesi, as he seems like the option if the current French defender doesn’t put pen to paper.
Despite that, English players need to join the club over the next few months to alleviate the pressure that they are currently facing against the rules. Adam Wharton looks set to be a major target this summer as they finally look to put a stamp on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure.
Anthony Gordon has been discussed in the past, with a possible return to Merseyside on the cards, while several other talents could be available, such as Tottenham’s Archie Gray or Bournemouth’s Alex Scott.
Due to other teams facing similar pressures when filling out their squad, the cost for these elite talents is normally higher, but the Reds need to secure at least one, with more being a possibility.
There’s no doubt that the squad needs improving on a multitude of levels, but it still has so much quality that a few more faces could take them from European challengers to title contenders, though having a bigger squad will play a helping hand in next season’s success, if there is to be any.
