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Arne Slot is about to get what he wanted most at Liverpool as transfer blueprint clear
Eyebrows were raised at Liverpool’s summer transfer business when Federico Chiesa was the only immediate addition to Arne Slot’s inherited squad. A £10m arrival from Juventus, the capture of the Italy international was something of an opportunistic move from the Reds at the end of August.
Onlookers were left convinced that Liverpool needed to strengthen at centre-back and in midfield, with a new left-back potentially the next port of call. Yet Slot would continue to stress he was more than happy with the strength of his squad throughout the summer, before an opportunity came knocking.
The Reds had looked to bolster their ranks in midfield and defence, with Martin Zubimendi and Leny Yoro both on their radar.
READ MORE: I have just witnessed the best of Arne Slot's man management at Liverpool
But in the end, a sixth attacker in Chiesa ended up being the limit of their reinforcement.
Part of Liverpool’s thinking was Slot’s desire to have at least two options in every position, with there certainly a logic to such reasoning. But it is a luxury the Dutchman has not yet been free to fully enjoy.
Chiesa has been limited to just 78 minutes of action and has not even made a matchday squad appearance since the end of September because of illness and injury. Throw in Diogo Jota’s eight-week absence with an impact injury to his upper body, and the Reds have had to make do with depleted numbers.
But now, on the eve of the festive period, Slot and Liverpool’s attacking options are about to be replenished.
Jota looks set to make his comeback against Fulham on Saturday after returning to team training. Chiesa was alongside him, but could be held back for next week’s League Cup clash with Southampton instead.
With Reds sitting atop both the Premier League and Champions League tables, they have coped perfectly well without them. But with Liverpool’s reliance on Mohamed Salah - both in terms of goals and assists - in contrast to his team-mates becoming increasingly clear, the pair’s return is most timely.
Slot has warned his players of the increased competition for places they are about to face and their respective roles in his squad as a result. Having seen Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz thrive when rivalling each other for opportunities, he will hope the return of the injured Jota and Chiesa can have a similar impact on the out-of-form Darwin Nunez.
Salah does not need such motivation, given he has a whopping 16 goals and 12 assists just 22 appearances so far this season. But it is curious how all of Liverpool’s forwards, for differing reasons, have points to prove as the season nears its halfway point.
For the 32-year-old Egyptian, he remains out of contract next summer and is desperate to stay put at Anfield. Only he will know how much the uncertainty regarding his future is motivating his current performance levels, but he certainly appears to have the bit between his teeth as he looks to rubbish any possibility that he will soon suffer a post-30 decline and prove himself worthy of a new Reds contract.
The only guaranteed starter in the Liverpool attack, it is a different story for Salah’s team-mates.
Gakpo came into the campaign determined to vindicate Slot’s decision to revert him to his favoured left-wing position. Meanwhile, after a season of being linked with a move away from Anfield and a summer where the Reds almost signed Anthony Gordon, Diaz has looked to reiterate his worth to the club in the aftermath of uncertainty about his future.
Jota started the season as Slot’s first-choice striker - having only ever previously been on the cusp under Jurgen Klopp before injury intervened - and will be desperate to reclaim such status. He will also look to prove that he can actually stay injury-free in the second half of the season, now back fit after his latest unfortunate setback.
Meanwhile, Chiesa will be hungry to make up for lost time and ensure he is not discarded as a Liverpool flop, having previously been left deemed surplus to requirements and frozen out at Juventus prior to his switch to Anfield. He has already been linked with a return to Serie A in January by reports in his homeland.
And then there is Darwin Nunez, the Reds’ enigma record signing. In the absence of Jota, he has led the line for the majority but increasingly struggled. He still only has three goals to his name this season, with Chiesa the only one of Slot’s attacking options to return less.
A marmite figure, the Uruguayan has both vocal supporters and critics. But after two and a half seasons of being Liverpool’s nearly man, he is perhaps running out of lives in the Reds’ attack.
Slot did come to his defence after disappointing displays against Newcastle United and Girona. Sending a warning to the Uruguayan as competition for places heats up, it will be intriguing to see how the popular forward now responds.
But it is telling that the majority of Liverpool’s forwards currently possess an asterisk next to their name when it comes to pondering their long-term Reds futures and who makes up Slot’s squad next season.
The January transfer window might open in two and a half weeks, but it is inconceivable to see Liverpool trading in just yet. Come the end of the campaign and it could be a different story.
If all goes well in the weeks and months ahead, there will be no need for Slot to alter his attacking ranks come next summer either. But all his forwards now face a fight in the short-term to prove that they deserve to remain a prominent part at Anfield in the future.
Salah has more than proven his worth, with his place purely down to whether there is a breakthrough in contract negotiations between player and club.
But for Liverpool’s remaining five, whether they are vying to start alongside the Egyptian or needing to step up in order to help replace him, their mission is clear.
Slot wanted six forwards and now has them all available to him. But, depending on how the season unfolds, it would not be a surprise if the Reds looked to again bolster their attack next summer.
To allude to former manager Brendan Rodgers’ much-mocked envelopes mind-game, Liverpool’s forwards now each need to make sure that they cannot be improved on come the end of the season.
