Fenway Sports Group’s lack of activity in the January transfer window will no doubt leave plenty frustrated, but the business of their rivals proves they have lost no ground in Liverpool’s quest for silverware.
So, no pigs have flown. Hell is yet to freeze over, and Liverpool didn’t make a signing in the January transfer window. Despite the pleas of many fans and the recommendations of this writer, the club chose not to fortify a squad that is strong favourites to pick up at least one trophy, and perhaps all four.
Head coach Arne Slot insisted that he was happy with the situation. The narrative around transfers always seems to suggest that a team that doesn’t make any aren’t backing the manager, but it’s clear to anyone who listens to the Dutchman that he has decided to back the players that he already has.
“I’ve said many times, we have a very good squad and if you look at the league table, the players have shown that the trust we have in them was correct,” Slot said after the window closed.
Not only is this a Liverpool squad full of quality players, but at the present moment, they’re full of fit players as well.
The balancing act
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the only injury absentee, with the news that he’s already on the training pitch undergoing an individual programme a strong indicator that the star right-back will not be missing for weeks.
Such a clean bill of health is a testament to the methods of Slot and lead physical performance coach Ruben Peeters, but it’s still the exception as opposed to the rule.
Already this season Liverpool have had both senior left-backs, both senior right-backs, three central strikers and two out of four centre-backs unavailable at the same time.
And yet, the art of squad building is a fine balancing act. Having enough players to cover every eventuality is unsustainable, as Chelsea are just finding out.
Enzo Maresca has loaned out six players who have made a first-team appearance this year and will have some tough conversations ahead when naming his Europa Conference League squad after leaving out five important players during the group stages.
Slot was forced to leave the fully fit Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa out of the matchday squad at Bournemouth, calling it the most difficult decision he has to make.
When weighing up additions to a squad, maintaining harmony is considered more important by managers than by fans. So far, Liverpool’s participation in all four competitions has kept all those plates spinning, but that will become more difficult as the season progresses and every game becomes important.
The reality is that any arrivals in this winter window needed to be accompanied by a departure.
Normally a ‘sell to buy’ strategy is governed by a financial situation, but with Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott no longer counting as under-21 players from next season, Liverpool simply do not have enough registration places for new players without moving others on.
While it was clear the club would never entertain the farcical bid from Real Madrid for Alexander-Arnold, the only other full-time squad member who attracted interest was Darwin Nunez, although the Saudi overtures never felt concrete. There would also need to be interest from the player in leaving Anfield, and with the team in such a strong position in multiple competitions, that always felt unlikely.
The one departure from the squad has been teenager Jayden Danns, who signed a new long-term deal before heading off on loan to help Sunderland reach the Premier League. There were strong suggestions that he would remain as a wildcard, particularly after another sparkling cameo in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley.
However, the recovery of the sixth frontline forward Diogo Jota, coupled with a difficult night for Danns in Eindhoven, has seen the most sensible decision taken to aid his long-term development with regular games elsewhere.
The Black Cats are only three points outside the automatic promotion spots, and Danns will surely get plenty of opportunities to fight for a place with Wilson Isador and compete in high-stakes matches on someone else’s time once he recovers from his back injury.
And so, Liverpool beat writers and fans were left to watch other clubs make deals to try and get closer to the team at the top.
More important signatures to secure
Deadline day remained underwhelming across the league and the month as a whole saw only a smattering of true talents enter the country. Premier League clubs spent approximately £370 million on players, and yet there are very few, if any, who would have improved Liverpool’s squad.
Aston Villa made waves by bringing in Marcus Rashford, Donyell Malen and Marco Asensio, but their squad would have been stronger had they retained Jhon Duran, Jaden Philogene and Emiliano Buendia.
Liverpool will be interested observers of the fortunes of rumoured targets Stefanos Tzimas and Patrick Dorgu at Brighton and Manchester United respectively, but again neither player represents proven quality.
Slot got a close view of the potential of Spurs’ new signing Mathys Tel in the League Cup semi-final second leg, with the club clearly deciding that he did not represent a better option than what they have as they were never in the running for his signature.
There were consistent links to Omar Marmoush – the man seen as Mohamed Salah‘s Egyptian heir – but there remain questions over whether his current stellar season is a permanent improvement or simply a hot streak.
Manchester City accounted for nearly 50 percent of all top-flight spending – over £180 million on Marmoush, Vitor Reis, Nico Gonzalez, Claudio Echeverri and Abdukodir Khusanov.
Pep Guardiola’s side are one Real Madrid defeat away from being none of Liverpool’s business this season, and while that may be a talented quintet, they don’t appear to be of the standard capable of clawing back a 15-point deficit.
In fact, it’s quite shocking to see that nearly £200 million only buys potential in the current market.
Liverpool may have been one of only four clubs that signed no players in the winter, but one of the others was their biggest rivals for the Premier League title, Arsenal.
Which contract is the priority for Liverpool to sort?
Mo Salah
Virgil van Dijk
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Unlike Slot, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta declared himself “disappointed” in the lack of winter business, particularly in light of their continued search for a striker. Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Alexsander Isak and Ollie Watkins were all coveted, but none arrived to leave Kai Havertz to bear the goalscoring load.
Liverpool’s decision to stick rather than twist will lead to familiar accusations of a lack of ambition aimed at FSG, but the truth is that in the immediate term, the most important signatures to acquire remain those that are already in the squad.
The futures of Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk play a massive part in the present and future plans in the transfer market, and if sporting director Richard Hughes can finally secure deals for that talented trio, they would be the best signings made by any Premier League club.
• You can follow Mo Stewart on X, @The_Mighty_Mojo, and tune into his YouTube channel here.
