Liverpool are genuine title contenders after impressive summer

Liverpool’s summer arrivals have transformed them from swashbuckling entertainers to genuine title contenders.

Liverpool have doled out over £300 million in the past three transfer windows combined, over a third of which was spent on Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper and defender, respectively.

They recouped over two thirds of that money in player sales, mostly in the deal that sent Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in January, but they still spent enough to force Jurgen Klopp to backtrack on his words from 2016, when he criticized the fee Manchester United spent on Paul Pogba, saying he would “even do it differently if I could spend that money.” Times change.

But whether you think Klopp deserves criticism for this reversal, or whether he just failed to anticipate how quickly transfer fees would balloon, is beside the point, which is that Liverpool have strengthened their team considerably in their greatest areas of need, and enter the season riding the wave of their wonderful run to the Champions League final. They look, in short, like contenders.

Mohamed Salah was the best player in the Premier League last season, and after recovering from the shoulder injury that forced him out of the Champions League final, will lead the Reds’ attack alongside Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, arguably the most dangerous attacking trident in the world. They combined for 91 goals in all competitions last season, including 57 in the league. They will be supplemented by Xherdan Shaqiri, signed for £13 million from Stoke, where he scored eight goals and added seven assists in 2017-18.

The real challenge for Klopp this summer, however, as it has been for most of his two and a half years on Merseyside, was always going to be improving the rest of the team to match the quality of the attack. The arrival of Naby Keita, Fabinho and Alisson Becker, to supplement the signing of van Dijk in January, has done exactly that.

Keita, who joins from an RB Leipzig side that implement a pressing system not dissimilar to Klopp’s, is the most exciting addition of the lot. He’s a very different player to Coutinho, but he’s likely to occupy the same role as the Brazilian, as the most attacking midfielder in a 4-3-3. Equally capable of driving at defenders with the ball at his feet, slipping in the forwards with an intelligent pass and winning back possession, he’s poised for a breakout year.

Fabinho will provide a calm presence in front the back for, either alongside or in place of Jordan Henderson. With James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum also capable of playing anywhere in the midfield three, and Adam Lallana, who can play in the front or midfield three, back to full fitness, the Reds have significantly more depth in the middle than they did last season, even with an injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the daparture of Emre Can.

Then, of course, there’s Alisson, the most expensive goalkeeper in the world. Loris Karius showed significant improvement last season, before his two howlers in the Champions League final. The abuse he suffered for those mistakes, poor form in preseason and the arrival of Allison have seriously (and understandably) rattled the young keeper, and his days at the club may be numbered.

Alisson isn’t only an upgrade on Karius (and Simon Mignolet); he’s also one of the best goalies in the world, a leader between the sticks whose calming presence will serve to boost the confidence of the defenders that sit in front of him. The back line improved significantly after van Dijk’s arrival last January and the introduction of Andy Robertson at left-back the month prior. Alisson can help the group take another step forward.

Liverpool and Manchester United were the only two teams in the league to beat Manchester City last season, but given the quality of their summer business, not to mention United’s disjointed preseason, the Reds appear to be in prime position to challenge Pep Guardiola’s side for the title this year.

Liverpool will also benefit from the fact that, unlike their rivals, most of their key players returned early from the World Cup (or didn’t go at all). Only Alisson, Firmino, Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dejan Lovren made it past the round of 16, and Firmino and Alexander-Arnold spent most of the tournament on the bench. Keita, Fabinho and van Dijk, meanwhile, will benefit from their first full preseasons with the club.

Klopp will be aware of this, and desperate to leverage that advantage into a fast start to the campaign. City were near flawless last season, and had pulled 12 points clear of the Reds after only nine matchweeks. If Liverpool are going to end their long title drought, they can’t afford the same early slip-ups again.

Klopp is entering his third full season at Anfield. The improvement during his tenure has been clear, but after another final defeat and a summer of big spending, patience may begin to wear thin if the German isn’t able to lead his side to a trophy in 2018-19. He has a squad he can be proud of; it’s time to deliver.