The Reds have been in fine form in pre-season but things are not progressing well at all off the field
It would have been impossible for any Liverpool fan to have left Anfield on Sunday feeling anything but excited about the new season. The sun was shining and Arne Slot's side had just torn Sevilla to shreds in a 4-1 win, with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz performing particularly well in the Dutchman's first appearance in front of the Kop.
Slot admitted afterwards that certain star players are not yet fully up to speed after being given extended breaks due to their involvement in this summer's major international tournaments, but pre-season couldn't have gone much better for the new manager, whose side also won all three of their games on their pre-season tour of the United States. As Virgil van Dijk put it, "so far, so good."
And yet the captain couldn't help but add to the nagging sense of uncertainty surrounding Anfield right now by casting doubt not only over the strength of Liverpool's squad, but also his own future at the club.
Getty The plea for new players
Slot has done an excellent job to date silencing those who questioned his credentials as a worthy successor to Jurgen Klopp, but the fact that Liverpool remain the only Premier League team yet to sign a single player this summer is undeniably concerning.
Van Dijk made no secret of his belief that the club "should make some signings based on how long the season will be", arguing that the 2023-24 campaign unravelled because "towards the end we were lacking experience and lacking quality, there were some injuries here and there, and multiple things that didn’t go our way."
It's difficult to disagree. Last summer's midfield overhaul went very well indeed, but competing on four fronts up until March took a heavy toll on the squad, with Klopp having to lean heavily on the 'kids' to win the Carabao Cup.
The German may have left Liverpool in rude health, but it was clear that the gap to Manchester City – and even Arsenal – could only be bridged by strengthening in a few key areas this summer.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesZubimendi's shocking U-turn
Van Dijk did acknowledge that new sporting director Richard Hughes & Co. were "working very hard behind the scenes" and insisted that he remains "fully convinced that they will do the right thing for us and get the best possible squad in order to compete in every competition that we are in."
It would certainly come as a big surprise if the window closed without Liverpool having brought in at least a couple of new faces – but we now know that Martin Zubimendi won't be one of them, with the Real Sociedad midfielder having rejected the chance to move to Anfield.
According to reports, Hughes had been assured that the Spain international was willing to leave his hometown club but the pressure applied by the Basque side prompted a dramatic change of heart that has left Liverpool red-faced.
Of course, one could argue that if Zubimendi had doubts over moving to Merseyside, then he probably wasn't the right kind of character for the club anyway. However, this very public snub is a hammer blow for Slot, given the squad he inherited from Klopp has been crying out for a world-class No.6 since Fabinho's exit last year.
However, it's also a PR disaster for Hughes. Just five days before the start of the Premier League season, he's neither completed a single signing nor managed to agree new deals with three of Liverpool's most important players.
Getty 'No change at the moment'
Van Dijk is one of the trio, with the skipper telling reporters after the Sevilla game that "there is no change at the moment" in relation to questions over the Dutchman's contractual situation.
Obviously, the Netherlands centre-back has only just returned to Merseyside after three weeks' holiday and he openly admitted that it took him some time to get over his nation's Euro 2024 semi-final loss to England.
However, it's nonetheless worrying that Liverpool's leader is no closer to agreeing a new deal and will be in a position to discuss a free transfer with other clubs from January 1 onwards, particularly as Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold find themselves in the exact same scenario.
Getty ImagesStill no new deal for Salah
Of the three, Salah actually appeared the most likely to depart at the tail end of the last season. For arguably the first time in his career, the Egyptian appeared to be struggling physically, having seen his campaign severely hindered by the injury he suffered during the Africa Cup of Nations.
With just one year left on his contract, it felt like the time was right for Liverpool to allow Salah, 32, to complete his long-mooted move to Saudi Arabia. It certainly would have suited everyone involved from a financial perspective.
However, the disappointing end to the campaign only appears to have strengthened Salah's resolve to stay at Anfield. He's looked like his old self in pre-season and the word is that he feels as if he has unfinished business in both the Premier League and the Champions League. Consequently, as soon as he made it clear that he had no intention of leaving Liverpool, it was widely reported that Salah would extend his contract.
No agreement has yet been reached, though, and it's a similar story with Alexander-Arnold.
