A title defence that unravelled
Liverpool won the league in 2024-25 and then spent big to stay on top. It backfired. New signings never settled, injuries piled up, and Arne Slot fell out with Mohamed Salah. Fifth place and a Champions League ticket flattered a side that conceded 53 goals and lost 12 times, and it cost Slot his job barely a year after he lifted the trophy.
Andoni Iraola arrives from Bournemouth with a reputation for high-energy, aggressive football. The question at Anfield is whether he has the players to play it. Two pre-season friendlies told a familiar story: 2-0 leads against Leeds and Monaco, then two defeats.
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A defence held together by loans
Ibrahima Konate left on a free to Real Madrid, and the cover behind Virgil van Dijk looks thin. Van Dijk is 35 and played 55 games last season. Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet have all been sidelined this summer, Leoni still recovering from an ACL tear. Ronald Araujo has come in on a season-long loan from Barcelona after Hansi Flick told him his starts were running out, and he pushes Liverpool to 17 non-homegrown players, the maximum allowed.
Right-back remains a worry. Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both struggle to stay fit, so Iraola may lean on Araujo there, where the Uruguayan spent a quarter of his minutes last season.
A forward line that needs restocking
The odd part is the attack. Liverpool spent around 200 million pounds on Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike last summer, yet the area still needs work. Ekitike ruptured his Achilles in March and is unlikely to feature before 2027. Isak managed four goals in an injury-hit 22 games. Salah has gone, Cody Gakpo is linked with Tottenham, and Florian Wirtz is being trialled as a 10 behind Isak after a modest debut year of seven goals and eight assists. Bradley Barcola is a target, but with three weeks left in the window, sporting director Richard Hughes has plenty still to do before Iraola can chase the miracles Slot pulled off in his own first season.
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