How will Arne Slot strengthen his Liverpool side for next season?

Owen Lewis for FIRST.com

After coming back to win against Southampton on Saturday Liverpool have all-but won their second Premier League title in five years.

Sports betting sites have already begun paying out on the Reds to be crowned champions, but with a looming Carabao Cup final against Newcastle (7/20 to win via BetMGM) the Reds might be overcoming most pundits’ expectations and be in line for a domestic double.

You can find the best bookmakers and latest sports betting tips on FIRST.com.

But how will Liverpool reinforce to go again next season? With doubts over Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah’s contract situations, and Real Madrid pushing for Trent Alexander Arnold’s signature, there’s lots of questions being asked about what Liverpool will do during the summer transfer window.

Left back

The left back position has been a talking point over the past two seasons with Andrew Robertson past his prime, and Kostas Tsimikas unable to provide the same support to the attack as Trent.

This has to be the first place Liverpool look at if they want to keep competing at the highest level. Two Premier League players that Liverpool will have their eyes on are Antonee Robinson and Milos Kerkez.

Robinson has been on fire this season, bagging 10 assists for Fulham this season. Only Mo Salah has registered more assists than the US international. He’s coming into his prime years so would be a great transfer target for the summer.

Kerkez on the other hand is one of the most promising young players in the league this season scoring 2 an assisting 5 goals this season. At 21, the Hungarian international is helping Bournemouth push for European football, and would be a quality investment by Richard Hughes.

There’s also an argument to be made for Theo Hernandes, who is likely to leave Milan in the summer. Although he has previously been quite injury prone, he has only missed one game this season and is proven in the Champions League.

These three players would be great first choices, and keeping Andy Robertson as backup would be a perfect balance for the dressing room.

Forward facing issues  

Darwin Nunez has been in the headlines since January after Liverpool blocked a potential move to Saudi Arabia, but it seems the Reds are finally going to cash in on the struggling Uruguayan in the summer.

There’s also the possibility of Salah leaving this summer, however bets are on the Egyptian King penning an extension this summer.

Replacing Nunez would be easy, but could be very costly. Alexander Isak is being linked to every Premier League club right now, contributing 19 goals and five assists in the league this season.

Another likely link would be Benjamin Sesko, with Liverpool in good steed with RB Leipzig’s hierarchy. He’s young and his talent is a little raw, but give him the time Nunez has been given and he will surely come good in red.

Other targets of interest could be Viktor Gyokeres and Inter’s Marcus Thuram.

Reinforcing reds

While revamping the forward and left-back positions are of importance to Liverpool’s odds at trophies next season, there are also arguments for reinforcing key areas of Arne Slot’s squad.

With the ownership reluctant to invest in the side for Slot’s first season, and the increased revenue generated from the title race and Champions League participation, this summer will see the Reds invest heavily in the squad.

Looking at Liverpool’s squad depth, it is evident that their central defence and midfield options will likely need strengthening next season.

In defense, two young centre-backs I would like to see on our transfer list are Dean Huijsen and Jorrel Hato. Dutch international Hato would be particularly of value due to his ability to play left back and both sides of the central defence, giving Jarrel Quansah some competition.

In midfield I’d love to see the likes of PSG’s Desire Doue reinforcing the midfield, however, it’s probably more important to the balance of the team to sign a back-up to compete with Ryan Gravenberch next season.

This summer will be crucial for Liverpool, with Manchester City and Arsenal definitely in the market to compete again.