Former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise has implored his old club to seek reinforcements in the center-forward and left-back positions as he identified the weakest areas in the Reds' squad.

The Merseysiders currently top the Premier League standings after an impressive first half of the term during head coach Arne Slot's maiden campaign at Anfield. The high-flying top flight pacesetters have defied pre-season expectations, having established a healthy lead over widely-tipped title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City at this midway stage of the season.

In addition, Liverpool has advanced to the last 16 of the Champions League, while also remaining in the mix when it comes to the two domestic cups. However, club chiefs are yet to make any fresh additions during the winter transfer window - as the Reds look to compete on all four fronts in the second half of the campaign.

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With the transfer window remaining open until Feb. 2, it remains to be seen whether the Merseysiders will add any fresh signings before then. Weighing up whether his former employers could do with reinforcements in the coming days, ex-Reds defender Riise first opined that the Premier League leaders appear light in the center-forward position.

Calling on the Merseysiders to sign another attacker, he told Oddspedia: "I'm not sure there's a need for Liverpool to strengthen, but I think we do need a more prolific goal scoring striker. I do love Darwin Nunez and how he fights, but the pressure can’t be just on Mohamed Salah as a winger."

Following on from this, the Norwegian also assessed Liverpool's options at left-back, as he acknowledged that first-choice option Andy Robertson could do with some stronger competition. The Scotsman has been rotated with Kostas Tsimikas during the current campaign, with some observers having earmarked this postion as a problem area for Slot.

Riise continued: "I think there could also be some more pressure on Andy Robertson at left-back. To be honest, I feel for him because I was in the same position many years ago when I left Liverpool. My last season was not up to my usual standards and then people started talking about the need to sign a new left back.

"Now, people are talking about the same thing with Robertson at the club," the 2005 Champions League winner asserted. "I do think that Robertson just needs a bigger push from a player who can push him harder than Kostas Tsimikas can. Then I think we can get the Robertson back that we all know."

Meanwhile, Reds boss Slot has acknowledged that the club's focus remains set on making fresh signings in the summer, rather than during the winter transfer window. The Dutchman told BBC Sport: "Liverpool should always be competing for a league title, we should always be competing for the Champions League.

"I'm hoping I will be able to keep the club at that level. I know people sometimes question this because they haven't seen us doing a lot in the transfer market in the summer and now in the winter as well. There's a reason for that - because we're happy with the squad. But I do know we're definitely working on strengthening in the summer."