Liverpool have been told to copy Manchester City’s playbook and make only minor additions to Arne Slot’s squad this summer. Former Reds striker Stan Collymore believes the Dutchman has inherited a ‘very capable’ squad from Jurgen Klopp and insists only small adjustments will be required.
Slot will run the rule over Liverpool’s first-team squad over the coming weeks. Premier League players are expected to return for pre-season soon, aside from those competing at Euro 2024 and the Copa America.
Liverpool are widely reported to be targeting defensive reinforcements this summer. Joel Matip will leave Anfield when his contract expires at the end of the month, leaving Slot with only Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah at centre-back.
But Collymore has urged Liverpool not to make sweeping changes, instead following City’s trend of making incremental improvements to the squad over time, with just two incomings possible this summer.
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“I think it could be a very understated first window with Arne Slot saying, ‘We’ve got a great dressing room, it’s an evolution rather than a revolution’,” the 53-year-old wrote in a column for Caught Offside.
“Some Liverpool fans may be expecting five or six signings as is happening at Chelsea and Manchester United. But Liverpool are probably better served looking at City’s model and just bringing in one or two little tweaks in little areas that may need improvement.
“That’s also a massive thumbs-up to what Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool Football Club with – which is still a very capable squad.”
Collymore added: “I just don’t see some of the names that have been touted at Liverpool, unless one’s a left-back or burgeoning central defender. I don’t think that Liverpool need very much at all.”
Slot has promised to build on Klopp’s remarkable Liverpool legacy. Like Klopp, the 45-year-old is highly unlikely to be given a huge transfer kitty to spend on an array of superstars.
The former Feyenoord head coach has tough shoes to fill, following a man who won a Premier League, a Champions League and a host of other honours during an iconic nine-year reign.
“I think we have a lot of quality and the way they played last season was already impressive, so we are going to build from there,” Slot said upon his arrival.
“Of course, you want to take some people with you as well because they know who you are, they know your playing style and they can translate this to the other people in the staff as well. But if you go to a club like Liverpool, you can assume – and I already noticed that – that there are a lot of good people working here as well.”
