The Reds may have romped to a record-equalling 20th English championship, but there are doubts over their prospects of creating a dynasty
Jurgen Klopp was never in any doubt that the remaining members of the Liverpool side that ended the club's agonising wait for Premier League glory had another title in them – and he was right. Unfortunately for the German, it arrived the year after he stepped down as manager.
Klopp was nonetheless delighted to see his successor, Arne Slot, lead Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English championship in the Dutchman's very first season at the helm.
And the Reds didn't just win the league, they absolutely ran away with it, opening up an unassailable 15-point lead over Arsenal with four rounds still remaining – which merely served to underline that sporting director Richard Hughes & Co. couldn't have picked a better replacement for Klopp.
However, despite the dominant nature of Liverpool's title triumph and the glorious success of their succession plan, many people are now wondering whether this is actually the end of an era of sustained success at Anfield rather than the dawn of a new dynasty…
Getty Images SportStrange situation for title-winners
Liverpool have been the best team in the Premier League this season – and by some distance too. The Reds have scored more goals than anyone else (80), while only Arsenal conceded fewer (29 to 32). It may seem strange, then, that so many supporters and pundits believe that Slot's squad needs to be significantly strengthened during the summer – but it's actually impossible to disagree.
After all, Liverpool made just two signings last summer. One of those barely played this season (Federico Chiesa), while the other won't arrive until this pre-season (Giorgio Mamardashvili), meaning Slot was effectively forced to work with the exact same group of players as his predecessor.
It could have been worse, of course. It wasn't as if Slot was taking over a struggling side bereft of top talent. Klopp's Liverpool had finished third the season before and also lifted the Carabao Cup, while Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah spent the majority of the current campaign showing why they deserved lucrative new contracts with one inspirational display after another.
Tying the two best players in the Premier League down to new deals also means this summer won't be as traumatic as it could have been. However, a significant amount of money will still have to be spent.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportHow best to replace Alexander-Arnold?
For starters, a new right-back is required. Salah and Van Dijk have penned new contracts at Anfield, but Trent Alexander-Arnold has not, meaning Liverpool are set to lose one of their most valuable assets – and a potential future captain – for absolutely nothing this summer.
The England international is also utterly irreplaceable. There is not a single right-back in the world with the same set of skills as Alexander-Arnold, who is so good on the ball that he was often used as an auxiliary midfielder by Klopp – and to excellent effect.
However, Liverpool are undeniably lucky in a certain sense. In Conor Bradley, they have a potential in-house solution to a major problem. The Northern Irishman may not have Alexander-Arnold's wondrous range of passing, but he is a real threat going forward, and while he still has much to work on from a positional perspective, he is tenacious in the tackle (as Kylian Mbappe knows!) and possesses an eagerness to improve his understanding of his defensive duties that his Real Madrid-bound team-mate sorely lacks.
However, even if Slot wants Bradley as his starting right-back next season, he's still going to need a top-quality understudy, which will mean dipping into the transfer market.
Getty Images SportRobertson's time is up
Of course, signing a left-back is of even more pressing concern, with this season having proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Andy Robertson's best days are behind him. The Scot has been a tremendous servant to the club, easily one of the Reds' best-ever buys, but he's become a liability defensively and no longer carries anything like the same threat going forward.
His two outings against Fulham this season were actually tough to watch, as the contrast in quality between Robertson and his Cottagers counterpart Antonee Robinson was shockingly stark, and it's no surprise that Liverpool have been linked with the United States international.
However, it presently seems far more likely that Hughes will return to former club Bournemouth to sign Milos Kerkez, the exciting young Hungarian that is not only well-known to Hughes and Dominik Szoboszlai, but also Slot, from his time in the Eredivisie.
Getty Images SportShort in central defence
The fans are also praying that Liverpool can pick up another Cherries defender in Dean Huijsen. Hughes may not have been responsible for bringing the Spain international to the Vitality Stadium, but his Bournemouth connections are actually irrelevant in this case, as Huijsen has a buy-out clause that comes into effect this summer, meaning the way is pretty much clear for him to move to Merseyside – provided Liverpool can actually convince him to do so.
As has already been established, Huijsen is not short of suitors, and Real Madrid rather ominously rank among them. But no matter what happens, Liverpool will need a new centre-back.
The nightmare scenario of having to somehow find a worthy Van Dijk replacement has been narrowly avoided, but Slot could still do with another option to play alongside the giant Dutchman – particularly as Ibrahima Konate only has just over a year left on his contract now and continues to flatter to deceive, while Jarell Quansah could even be sold given he's regressed badly this season.
When one also factors Joe Gomez's fitness issues into the equation, Liverpool's lack of depth in the centre of defence becomes worryingly obvious.