The Liverpool Offside 2024-25 Season Preview, Part 2: Taking Stock in the Squad

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Ahead of the 2024-25 season, we dig into the state of Arne Slot’s first Liverpool squad asking who might shine, who might fall off, and what more needs to be done.

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The Liverpool Offside 2024-45 Season Preview

Part 2: Taking Stock in the Squad

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Last season, Liverpool finished third in the Premier League following a major summer rebuild of midfield. In recent years, the Reds have also retooled in attack and defence. Heading into the 2024-25 season, then, The Liverpool Offside team wanted to step back and ask ourselves just how close to the finished, title-challenging product we think this squad is and where more work needs to be done to get this group to that point.

With a new manager in charge, we also wanted to ask if there were any players we felt perhaps didn’t quite live up to expectations under Jürgen Klopp who we think might take it to the next level under Arne Slot—and which players who were top of the team sheet for Klopp who might struggle with a new manager.

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Dexian

Having completely retooled the midfield last summer, Liverpool approach this season with not a lot of holes to fill. Other than a top defensive midfielder, we could maybe use a new defender or two, plus an attacker who could backup Salah would be nice. But that’s pretty much it. And it’s shown in our transfer activity thus far.

Finding players who would be true upgrades for this team hasn’t been easy. The rumoured departures for some of our more promising youth players who are at the fringes of the first-team also point to a confidence in the squad we’ve built. It’s stacked across the board, and youngsters may find playing time and the pathway into the first-team congested. It’s a good problem to have.

As for who might shine under Slot, Curtis Jones spoke about the midfielders doing less workhorse labour and being able to have the ball at their feet more during the preseason tour. But so far, one of the biggest hasn’t been Jones, it’s been Ryan Gravenberch.

Although Gravenberch wasn’t poor in his debut season under Klopp, the kid has looked much more comfortable in Slot’s system. His press resistance makes him really suited to Slot’s tactics, and he has looked at ease moving the ball and filling spaces vacated, leading to a fantastic performance against Sevilla on the weekend. As Slot’s Liverpool look to kill their opponents with passing, Gravenberch’s on-ball talents could really blossom in this new setup.

Jordan

It seems as though Slot really does believe in the squad that he has inherited. He said in the very beginning that he would like to assess it before making any signings, and he has now had the time to do that with everyone back from their vacations and international duties.

Considering the lack of urgency with signings we’ve seen so far, we have to infer he feels pretty confident that the lads he’s inherited can do what he wants them to do. As for any questions about lacking depth and injury cover, it always comes back to the age old question: who can you sign that will be okay with just sitting on the bench?

I don’t feel like we need a centre half just yet considering we have multiple combinations. I’m not even as convinced as some people clearly are that we need a dedicated defensive midfielder because we do have options for that role.

If anything, I’d like to see someone signed at the right attacking spot to help Mohamed Salah (or prepare for the future when someone will need to take his place), but I’m not even sure that’s a particularly pressing or immediate need.

Noel

I like the squad a lot. I really do. But especially for how Slot wants us to play I’m one of those people who think that we could really use a controlling six, the sort of player who can help to dominate possession and build play from deep with elite press resistance.

Martin Zubimendi looked like he was going to be that player and now he won’t be, so the question becomes does the club have a viable Plan B or will they let the biggest hole in the squad go unfilled, punting it to what could be a very difficult summer of 2025 given there are questions about the longer term futures of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and (until he actually signs a new contract) even Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Some help on the right wing also wouldn’t go amiss. As would some clarity on the whole Salah-Van Dijk-Trent contract front. More than any transfers even, how good I feel about this Liverpool group heading into 2024-25 will depend a lot on those contract situations and how things are setting up for the season after this one.

Assuming Slot himself lives up to expectations, I think the foundations are there for another dominant Liverpool side—but those foundations could get shaky in a hurry with 2025 turning into a major rebuild situation if the transfer window closes and not only have the club not brought in the six they need now but have major questions over three of their world class stars moving forward.

As for who I expect to shine under Slot, as good as he looked under Jürgen Klopp, I’d say all signs in pre-season point to this a breakthrough year for Harvey Elliott in a ten/second striker/false nine role. On the flip side, given how little he played in the warm-ups and that there have been loan rumours, I wonder if perhaps Stefan Bajcetic is going to be less suited to the new manager than many were expecting.

Zach

With a little better luck with injuries, this side probably would’ve pushed for at least one or two more trophies last season instead of burning out in March. That said, Jürgen Klopp is a phenomenal manager, indisputably one of best in the world, so how much of this squad’s success was due to him and how much was the actual quality of the squad is an unknown.

It’s hard to look at this group and see massive weaknesses, though. However, I do worry about the long-term succession plan for Salah, Van Dijk, and Alisson—but those three are of such high quality they’re practically impossible to replace. So, I guess a defender or two and maybe an attacker would be nice. But hey, no rush, it’s just the three weeks left in the window and no signings yet.

Audun

While nobody else is talking about it, I actually think left back might become a topical position in the very near future as Andy Robertson has had injury issues and Kostas Tsimikas looks less of an iron-clad back-up these days than in his first few years at the club. But right now, I do like the squad a whole lot, and while a superstar ball-playing six would be cool—and I’ve personally not been sold on Zubimendi being this—I don’t believe a pivot solution featuring two of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, or Curtis Jones is unfeasible.

We should have bought Yankuba Minteh and I’ll never forgive Ricahrd Hughes for missing such an easy lay-up, but I guess he’ll still be good when we have to pay 80m to get him in next summer.

Of the players in the squad, I suspect Jarell Quansah might be the breakout star in the league this year, building on a frankly astounding debut season. And if he can wrest the minutes away from Szoboszlai, my tiny son Harvey Elliott could establish himself as one of the premier creators in the country, although either of the two looks set to shine given how we appear to be funnelling our play through their favoured areas of the pitch.

Since he’s not really featured all that much in pre-season, we’ll have to wait and see how Darwin Nuñez fits into Slot’s plans, but considering the Dutchman used Santiago Giménez effectively last year at Feyenoord, I have faith in his ability to adjust based on the talent available and get the best out of Liverpool’s physically dominant striker.

Honestly, there is so much exciting talent in the right age bracket at the club currently I think if anybody really struggles to adjust this year it could be one of the veterans.

Gabe

As Slot has pointed out on numerous occasions, Klopp and co left a very strong squad to work with. It will be hard to say for certain what the real needs are until we have a fuller understanding of the new manager’s style and personnel preferences, but as others have said a holding midfielder and depth in defence seem to be the key areas of improvement.

Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch seem to be a great fit for what Slot wants in the double pivot he has employed so far, and Curtis Jones can certainly do a job there as well, so I feel less worried about the holding role than I did a few weeks ago even if the club just missed on a big signing there.

I still would love to see someone a little more ready for the top flight as depth in the right attacking spot behind Mo Salah and think if anything that’s the weakest spot in the current squad, but I could also absolutely see Dominik Szoboszlai being able to effectively step into that role if needed with Harvey Elliott primed to play most of his minutes alongside the striker in the central advanced midfield spot.