Wayne Rooney has claimed that Liverpool’s woes this season are down to the departure of key players from their title-winning campaign.
As Liverpool fans continue to wait patiently for their season to turn around, every man and his dog has been voicing their opinion over what has gone wrong for Arne Slot’s side this season.
Off the pace in the Premier League, the reigning champions have all but handed over their crown to their title rivals and look at real risk of missing out on a lucrative top four finish.
After Jamie Carragher defended Arne Slot, former Everton and Manchester United player Rooney was the latest ex-pro to give his expert opinion on Liverpool’s issues.
Rooney: Summer departures have hurt Liverpool
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Fan Debate, Rooney suggested the Reds’ problems stem from the massive rebuild job they embarked on last summer.
“Look at Liverpool from last season to now,” Rooney said. “I think Salah and Van Dijk haven’t been at their best. You’ve got Trent [Alexander-Arnold] missing. Robertson hasn’t played a lot of games, Luis Diaz [left], the Jota situation.
“Even Nunez brought something. I know he wasn’t great, but he brought something to the team. Liverpool have lost a lot of players, so there is a sort of rebuild.”
Liverpool looked to build on strength
Footballing wisdom says that you should build whilst you are on top – and from an onlooker’s perspective, Liverpool did just that.
After storming to the Premier title in Arne Slot’s debut season as Liverpool manager, the Reds flexed their muscles in a big summer transfer window that saw them spend £446m.
That outlay included hefty fees for Newcastle star Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Bundesliga talent Florian Wirtz.
For a club renowned for its financial prudence, the big outlay created a buzz of excitement around Anfield, with many seeing it as a sign that Liverpool were looking to storm ahead of their rivals in their search for back-to-back titles.
Liverpool’s transfer spree has backfired in the short term
However, six months on, and things haven’t worked out that way for the Reds.
With the tragic passing of Diogo Jota, Liverpool have had a lot to contend with this season.
However, there is a point to be made that the rebuild problem Rooney alluded to is one of Liverpool’s own making.
With the likes of Van Dijk, Alisson, Robertson and Salah all well into their 30s, the spine of this team has long needed a refresh. But did Liverpool need to put so many fires out in one summer?
Instead of embedding your future front line, left back and right-back in one summer, it could be argued that Liverpool should have been more proactive and bought younger faces more steadily over the course of multiple summers.
Besides, it’s not as if the likes of Diaz and Nunez did not contribute to the Reds’ success last season. Diaz produced 17 goals in his most prolific season, whilst Nunez scored a late brace in a crucial game against Brentford.
In hindsight, the excitement generated around new arrivals did drown out the concerns over who Liverpool were losing.
