In an exclusive interview with ReadLiverpool, former Reds winger Jermaine Pennant has discussed Arne Slot’s future in the Anfield dug-out and what the summer transfer window could hold for the underperforming Premier League champions.
Liverpool fans filtering out of Villa Park at the full-time whistle on Friday would have been enraged by their team’s shambolic performance.
Arne Slot‘s side needed just one more Premier League victory to secure a spot in the Champions League for next season, but they ended up being easily brushed to one side by a rampant Aston Villa team, 4-2.
Now, it all rests on the dramatic close of the season with the Reds needing a final-day victory against Brentford to finally be secure in their top-five spot.
Former Anfield attacker Jermaine Pennant has been exclusively talking to ReadLiverpoolFC about the approaching summer transfer window, with the off-season giving Slot plenty of time to remould his squad into a camp he’d much prefer, after a horror second season in the dug-out.
Pennant’s comments on Liverpool’s summer transfer window
Pennant hasn’t been afraid this season to shout from the rooftops about his distaste for Slot in the dug-out.
Indeed, after watching his former employers be humiliated 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup in early April, Pennant declared that “enough is enough” regarding the Dutchman being the Reds’ manager.
Pennant, when speaking with ReadLiverpoolFC via freebets.com, the home of the best betting sites, was far more mellow about his thoughts on how Slot will attack the summer transfer window, with the under-fire head coach to be trusted when purchasing top players, despite £445m being spent last summer to limited success.
He said: “Liverpool spent a lot of money last window and we were all thinking these would elevate Liverpool and push on further for a title defence.
“But it’s not always as easy as that. We know the departments which need reinforcing, and you can’t fault Slot or the board for the players they purchased. So, in this issue, there is no issue purchasing top players.”
While the ex-Feyenoord head coach has hardly been convincing this season from the sidelines, a portion of the blame does have to lie with the players, as the likes of Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz have been far too inconsistent on their arrivals to Merseyside.
Moreover, he has also been cursed with wretched luck in the injury department, with Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak out for extended periods of the season due to long-term injuries.
This doesn’t look as if it will put the reigning Premier League champions off from spending big again, though, with both Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola reportedly on the shopping list, as they hunt down a long-term Mohamed Salah successor.
With 22 goals between them in league action this season, Liverpool fans will be excited by the prospect of both the 19-year-old attacker and the Frenchman joining the ranks.
Pennant certainly seemed convinced, too, when asked about his thoughts on the promising duo.
He said: “Like them both a lot. Top players, they can add real value to the squad and you need a strong squad to compete in every competition.
“They can both be key players and help Liverpool push on next season and challenge for the title. Mo will be a big loss to Liverpool, but we have plenty of attacking options.”
The summer transfer window does seem to be the thing Slot is hanging onto for dear life right now, as he clings onto his Anfield job post after the demoralising 4-2 loss at Villa Park.
While dissecting that dreadful defeat, the Premier League winner commented on the importance of the off-season.
Slot’s own comments on the transfer window
At the moment, it is hard to anticipate that Liverpool will go back to being the terrifying, title-winning machine they once were under Slot.
With 12 defeats next to their name in league action, it will take a lot more than some flashy recruits joining to fix the mess currently unfolding.
Slot did acknowledge the negativity in the air, in his post-match Villa thoughts, but he has promised that better times will be ahead, as the transfer window reopens.
He said: “I can understand at this moment in time that they [the fans] don’t have a lot of confidence or a lot of feeling that things can be much better next season.
“But I think then they are underestimating what a window can do, what a new start can do and I think we know quite well what to improve.”
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will get the approaching transfer window spot on, after their failings operating in it last summer, with the likes of Diomande potentially joining, raising smiles again among the Reds masses.
