It was a very quiet Transfer Deadline Day, as we expected, for Liverpool. Transfer talk around the club has been pretty much radio silent in recent weeks, and the only move they made was loaning out Rhys Williams to Swansea.
It was a fairly disappointing window for Reds fans, as the team did little to address some of the departures in the squad.
Additions
Center back Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig ($44m).
Departures
Forward Harry Wilson to Fulham ($15.4m), forward Taiwo Awoniyi to Union Berlin ($7.15m), midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri to Olympique Lyon ($6.60m), defender Rhys Williams to Swansea (loan), midfielder Marko Grujic to Porto ($9.9m), midfielder Gini Wijnaldum to PSG (free).
Team Needs Addressed
The only move that Liverpool made in the transfer window did indeed fill a need.
After heading into last season with only three senior center backs, the Reds paid the price when all three suffered season-ending injuries. That forced the squad to stage half the season with midfielders playing center back, before then turning to youngsters Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips at the end of the campaign.
Konate adds depth to the position, and he’s considered by many to be one of the best young center backs in Europe.
He isn’t a nailed on starter right away, and probably falls fourth on the depth chart, but it was a necessary depth move.
Team Needs Neglected
The obvious neglect for Liverpool in the transfer window was a creative midfielder that can help break down the lines.
Liverpool let Gini Wijnaldum walk on a free, and then sold Xherdan Shaqiri, and did nothing to replace either player. Through the early season, it looks like Jurgen Klopp is going to rely on Naby Keita and Harvey Elliott to try and fill those roles.
That’s a big gamble, with neither player showing they can do that at a consistent level.
Liverpool are also set to rely on three midfielders – Thiago (30), Jordan Henderson (31) and James Milner (35) – that are getting up there in age and have been injury risks. Having more quality players to rotate would have been nice.
In the attacking sense, you can always use more firepower.
There was talk early in the window of off-loading Divock Origi, and maybe even Takumi Minamino, but both will stay. Both have been inconsistent and not having a proven back-up attacking option could prove worrisome.
Liverpool have four solid forwards in Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota, but if one of them suffer a significant injury, it could spell trouble.
You also have to factor in that Salah and Mane will miss a month for AFCON in January, leaving Liverpool really short up front.
Synopsis
There was no glaring spot in the starting XI that needed to be addressed for Liverpool, but the lack of business is still unsettling.
Liverpool are putting a lot of faith in a starting XI that has played a lot of games over the past 4-5 years. The Liverpool ownership of Fenway Sports Group will use the pandemic as an excuse for not signing players, but that really hasn’t stopped anyone else in Europe from doing major business.
FSG is a lot like the Ricketts family that owns the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball– they’re content to just stand pat after winning only one title/ending the long championship drought. Both ownership groups are apparently okay with not being aggressive to go get more players that would improve the roster.
Both claim they don’t have the money to do so, when clear evidence says otherwise.
Overall, the lack of action is a gamble, and it will be interesting to see if it plays out.
Transfer Window Grade: D-, just because the Konate signing should be helpful, they avoid an F.
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