Soccer

Liverpool - Football: Klopp unlikely to make more summer signings

bet365 News Team Published: Jul 24 2022 19:17

Barring serious injury or an unexpected departure, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has made it clear he has no plans to further add to his squad this summer.

Is the Reds boss right to trust the players he has at his disposal for another Premier League title bid or do they need a couple more additions?

Quadruple dreams dashed late on

Last season eventually ended with Liverpool winning just the FA Cup and League Cup after they had been in contention for an unprecedented quadruple.

It was only on the final day of the league campaign that Manchester City, who are 8/13 to defend their top flight crown this time around, sealed the title by a point before Real Madrid edged out Klopp's side in the Champions League final in Paris.

What could have been an historic season of seasons ultimately ended in disappointment but still with much to celebrate and plenty of positives to take.

With City bringing in prolific striker Erling Haaland and further strengthening their already fantastic squad with the capture of midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United, it was vital Liverpool also attempted to improve their options ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, when they are 5/2 to finish top of the pile.

Big-money Nunez one of three signings

The signing of Darwin Nunez for what could eventually be a club-record £85million fee from Benfica was welcomed by Reds fans after he impressed last season against them in the Champions League, while young right-back Calvin Ramsay has also signed from Aberdeen and exciting winger Fabio Carvalho has been brought in from Fulham.

Three additions to the first-team squad seems wise work in the transfer market but the trio's arrivals are tempered by those who have departed Anfield this summer.

Losing Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich is a blow and Nunez will be the man charged with replacing the Senegal international but he could take time to settle in England. Mane has been one of Liverpool's most important players under Klopp and he scored 20 or more goals in all competitions in four of his six seasons at the club.

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Options up front

Nunez's goalscoring record for Benfica was eye-catching last term as the Uruguayan hit 34 goals in 41 games in total but stepping up from the weaker Portuguese top flight to the Premier League will not be easy.

He will be part of what looks like a fearsome five players competing for three places, alongside Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and Mo Salah, who provided another summer boost by finally signing a new contract.

Salah is 9/2 while Nunez is 10/1 to be Premier League top goalscorer in 2022-23.

Carvalho has been gaining star reviews in pre-season and he could end up being a bargain after he helped the Cottagers win the Championship last season.

The 19-year-old, who has only cost an initial £5million, scored 10 goals in the second tier last term and appears ready to compete for a first-team place now.

The teenager's arrival makes up for Takumi Minamino's move to Monaco, while Klopp has also been utilising Harvey Elliott in his summer warm-up games to suggest he will be back in the first-team fold on a regular basis from the off next month after his development last season was disrupted by a serious injury in September.

Ramsay, who joined in a deal that could rise to £6.5million with add-ons, will be a back-up player and is seen as Neco Williams' replacement after he joined Nottingham Forest.

Origi allowed to move on

So it looks like Klopp has covered for the departures of Mane, Minamino and Williams with the new signings, with the rest of the squad largely staying intact, apart from the free-transfer exit of Divock Origi, who joined AC Milan earlier this month.

Origi weighed in with a few valuable goals last season when he did get a rare chance but Klopp will feel he has adequate cover up front when he does decide to rotate his regular forwards. Along with Elliott and Carvalho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another option, if he can stay fit.

The defence is well stocked with four top-quality centre-backs in the shape of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson will be the first-choice full-backs again with Kostas Tsimikas and Ramsay offering good back-up.

In midfield, captain Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, Naby Keita and James Milner will all compete for three starting roles with the aforementioned Elliott, Carvalho and Oxlade-Chamberlain also able to operate in the middle should they be required.

A couple of injuries in the next month or so could change his mind but after looking at his first-team options in detail, Klopp appears to be spot on when suggesting his squad is now settled for the upcoming campaign.