Jamie Carragher already predicted Arne Slot transfer plan at Liverpool with two stars under threat
Arne Slot faces a huge summer as he prepares to take charge of Liverpool. A deal for the Feyenoord boss is expected to be confirmed soon, with the 45-year-old taking over from Jürgen Klopp.
With Richard Hughes also arriving as the club’s new sporting director, there will be a big emphasis on continuing the rebuild that began last summer in midfield. Although the Reds have shown a marked improvement on last season, recent weeks have shown there is still work to do before they can truly challenge Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.
Defense would appear to be the priority, especially with Joël Matip set to depart this summer. There could also be room to build amid Liverpool’s front three.
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Doubts have been expressed about the Reds’ attacking options as they’ve misfired in recent games, leading to their hopes of a quadruple disintegrating. Mohamed Salah’s future has been called into question, particularly after his recent outburst, although the Egyptian could well stay put for another year.
So if Salah is staying, could some of the other attacking options be in danger? Jamie Carragher certainly thinks so, suggesting Luis Díaz’s place could be under threat.
“I’d be really interested in the summer,” Carragher told The Overlap last month. “With Liverpool getting a new manager, would that be a position that Liverpool could look at in the summer? Wide left. I think Díaz is good, I don’t think he’s great.”
It’s not the only time the former defender has suggested Díaz’s place could be under threat. Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast back in December, Carragher also had a warning for Cody Gakpo.
Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Arsenal, he said: "Looking at Liverpool's front three, there's something not quite right about it and for me, (Darwin) Núñez starts on the bench, for me he has to be one of the first names on the team sheet. I saw him in midweek (against West Ham) and although he didn't score, he's creating, he can do something, Gakpo has been here for close to 12 months and he's had flashes but nowhere near enough.
"Díaz just looks like a shadow of himself, the knee injuries last season, he had family problems this season, but I feel Díaz needs a big second half of the season or Liverpool will be going in the market in the summer.
"With (Sadio) Mané and (Roberto) Firmino going they haven't really replaced them in terms of quality, we're almost making excuses for him (Núñez). But what Liverpool have still got in the front three is Mo Salah as your number one, Núñez is your number two then it's who else in the front three."
Liverpool.com says: Díaz has probably been the one option in the attacking quarters that has retained some kind of form recently. Even then though, he hasn’t really produced the results you’d expect from one of Liverpool’s forwards.
Perhaps if his teammates were firing we might have seen more, but there is no getting away from the fact it’s been a downgrade since Mané’s departure. He isn’t the only one though who has been underperforming, and Núñez and Gakpo’s places have to be looked at as well.
Given the options in attack, it might not appear to be an immediate priority for Liverpool, but it’s certainly an area Slot should be looking at when he arrives. Another option to provide some competition could be just what the Reds need to be firing again.