Second season syndrome. It’s sure to be a phrase bandied about online when rival fans discuss Liverpool’s chances under Arne Slot’s management for the 2025/26 campaign.
Liverpool must ensure they put paid to such notions by bolstering effectively in the summer transfer market and adding the depth that has been somewhat lacking this term.
Slot has worked wonders since replacing Jurgen Klopp last summer and it’s difficult to find faults to pick at, but a resistence to rotation is definitely one area the Dutch tactician has drawn criticism, with some intimating that Liverpool’s recent drop in fluency and sparkle is a by-product of certain players being overplayed.
But this is a minor blemish on a man whose arrival at Anfield has left the city aglitter, with the Premier League title a stone’s throw away and promises already being made of significant summer investment.
However, out with the old and all that. Some players have failed to win their boss over this season and simply have to be sold to make room for fresh faces.
Who Liverpool need to sell this summer
First and foremost, Darwin Nunez needs to be sold this summer. The misfiring striker didn’t even make the bench on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool beat West Ham United at Anfield. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Liverpool expect to sell him this summer.
Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota have also endured differing problems this year and either could be deemed expendable if the right bid were to come in, especially now that Mohamed Salah has extended his contract and the likes of Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak are being eyed.
It might be a tad harsh to suggest Liverpool need to sell Andy Robertson after his struggles at left-back this term, but with concrete interest confirmed in Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, either the Scotsman or his deputy, Kostas Tsimikas, will need to leave.
Several others – Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott – may be sold if the right circumstances present themselves. However, there’s another Liverpool star riding the crest of a wave right now who may also need to go.
Luis Diaz is one of the most in-form players in the Premier League, and FSG should cash in for maximum value while they can.
The latest on Luis Diaz's future
According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are now willing to accept offers for Diaz this summer in spite of his recent form, should bids reach the ballpark of €80m (about £68m).
The Colombian is one of the best forwards in the Premier League and has rediscovered his touch in the final third over the past few weeks, but aged 28 and approaching the penultimate year of his £55k-per-week contract, it might be the right time for Liverpool to cash in.
Barcelona hold a long-standing interest in the player, while Spanish reports suggest Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League are preparing a bid ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure at the end of his contract this summer.
Diaz has been one of the driving forces behind Liverpool’s anticipated Premier League triumph, but he’s not irreplaceable and some difficult decisions will need to be made soon.
Across all competitions this season, the 28-year-old has scored 15 goals and supplied eight assists for his teammates, having registered goal involvements in each of his past five Premier League appearances.
An electric-paced forward with an energy that’s charged not by pace but tenacity, Diaz is the real deal, coveted by the likes of Manchester City last year and heading toward the championship having been outscored only by Salah in Liverpool’s squad, which is nothing to be ashamed about.
Ranking among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, as per FBref, he’s got the technical capacity to thrive too. Klopp even hailed him once for his “world-class” passing.
Diaz has been indispensable this season for his tactical flexibility, able to skip around the frontline and fill in as a make-do centre-forward, owing to his gifted ability but highlighting the need for a recognised, hard-to-handle number nine.
Left winger
29
6
6
Centre-forward
11
6
0
Right winger
2
1
0
While he’s at his most clinical when placed as the focal frontman, he might find his opportunities limited in that area next term, given Liverpool are headset on signing an out-and-out striker, one who will likely cost quite the figure to bring over to Anfield.
They’ll need to get it right, but the same thing happened when Nunez was brought in from Benfica in the summer of 2022 as Sadio Mane took his leave.
Mane joined Bayern Munich in a deal worth £35m that summer, draping the curtain on an illustrious career at Liverpool. Given that he had turned 30 years old and was a year away from his contract’s conclusion, FSG’s decision was understandable.
Mane still had mileage in the tank but renewing his deal at that point of his career could have knocked the club’s wage hierarchy askew, with Salah being an exception to the rule.
And so history is shaping up to repeat itself. Diaz has been a more than able replacement for his Senegalese counterpart and now faces a similar fate, but given that he is set to consider a departure from the English Champions Elect, it could be a move that benefits all parties.
Back to the present, Cody Gakpo has nailed down the starting berth on the attacking left flank this year, scoring 16 times from 35 matches in the position.
The Netherlands international might have stepped away from the limelight over recent weeks due to injury, but he ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90.
There may well be a conflict of positional interest if these players remain at Liverpool and fight for a place alongside Isak or Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, for example.
The same, curiously, occurred when Mane, Salah and Diaz all played together for five short but sweet months in 2021/22, with Klopp’s new recruit making waves, notching seven goal involvements across 11 Premier League fixtures while winning 5.3 duels per game.
Liverpool wouldn’t grumble if Diaz was still in their mix next season, for sure, but if clubs present bids north of £60m for a player who is entering the later stage of their contract and is not that far away from their 30th birthday, it feels like it could be a no-brainer for sporting director Richard Hughes.
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