Are Liverpool treading on dangerous ground with a lean squad? 

Liverpool endured a disappointing 2025/26 Premier League season, ending their title defence by stuttering towards a Champions League spot in the end.

That was the bare minimum expected from the Reds and led to the sacking of head coach Arne Slot. Despite massive expectations, they ended the season trophyless and also bid farewell to some of their veteran stars.

Ever since confirming Andoni Iraola as Slot’s successor in June, Liverpool are yet to make a significant player signing and have remained relatively quiet in the market. With the new season approaching soon, fans are beginning to panic. 

Liverpool have only brought in winger Victor Muñoz from Osasuna and Jérémy Jacquet from Rennes so far. With the new season about to begin in two weeks, their squad is looking lean on paper in terms of depth as compared to their rivals.

So, the big question arises: are Liverpool going to have another underwhelming season? To answer this, we need to look at the factors affecting their lean squad depth.

Senior players’ departure in the summer

Liverpool have lost three key players in Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, and Ibrahima Konaté ahead of the new season, two of whom decided to move on at the end of their contracts, while Salah requested a termination of his deal with one year remaining.

Replacing the quality and experience of world-class players is very challenging. Even if Liverpool were to try and find a direct replacement for Salah, there are hardly any wingers on the market who can produce the kind of incredible numbers he conjured up almost every weekend for nearly a decade at Anfield. Losing out on someone as experienced as Robertson, meanwhile, even as a backup option, was a massive loss as well, while not being able to convince Konaté to sign a new deal was another huge failure, with the Frenchman following last summer’s departee Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid.

With speculation around Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo wanting to move on this summer also persisting, finding more reinforcements in such a short span will be hard, and failure to do so could be disastrous.

Losing senior players and bringing in new ones is always challenging, as the new players need time to settle into the team culture, ethos, and style of play, not to mention a new location. It’s never easy at a big club, as the expectations are different, and there are chances of wilting under the pressure, especially if a player has arrived on the back of a huge transfer fee.

Long-term injuries and injury-prone players 

Liverpool suffered several injury setbacks last season. New signings Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni, and Hugo Ekitike suffered long-term injuries — season-ending, in fact, in the case of the latter two. Fullback Conor Bradley and goalkeeper Alisson Becker, meanwhile, were also out for long periods.

Bradley, Leoni, and Ekitike have missed pre-season altogether, while backup forward Jayden Danns too suffered an injury setback and is missing out on the pre-season tour. Additionally, backup defensive option Joe Gomez, right-back Jeremie Frimpong, and new signing Jérémy Jacquet have suffered short-term injuries in pre-season games.

Of the aforementioned players, Liverpool will miss Ekitike and Bradley for about four months, as their injuries are far more serious and their return may be further delayed. New defenders Jacquet and Leoni will also need to be handled with caution, as they are both young and coming back from long-term lay-offs.

This leaves Liverpool’s defence and attack in jeopardy. With so many fitness and injury issues already plaguing the squad, Liverpool choosing not to prioritise defensive reinforcements is shocking, to say the least.

Inflated transfer market and homegrown quota limitations 

The transfer market has changed drastically over the past few years, especially within the English top flight. Selling clubs are demanding exorbitant prices for their players, with Premier League clubs demanding premiums for league-proven players while offering them to league rivals. Across Europe, even unproven players who have barely played a season of league senior football are being put up with preposterous price tags going north of €100 million.

For instance, Liverpool made a €116m bid for Ivorian winger Yan Diomandé from German club RB Leipzig earlier this summer, but they rejected it, wanting a fee in excess of €130 million. Such is the state of inflation that even players that would be considered largely mediocre are costing €70–80 million. 

Liverpool also have a limitation in terms of their homegrown quota. According to the Premier League’s regulations, a participating team can have a maximum of 17 overseas players in their 25-man squad and must register a minimum of eight homegrown players; “homegrown” refers to players registered with an English or Welsh FA-affiliated club for three full seasons or 36 months before turning 21 years old, regardless of their nationality. Currently, Liverpool only have one spot available in their overseas quota, so they cannot add another senior player from abroad without selling someone from the current squad. 

Conclusion

Looking at the current Liverpool squad, one can easily see that they are relatively weaker on paper as compared to their traditional top six rivals. Arsenal and Manchester City already possess superior squads, while Manchester United have also been strengthening their squad for the coming season, leaving the Reds at a huge disadvantage. 

Moreover, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have also strengthened their squads with high-quality signings. That they won’t be playing European football this season also gives them an edge with comparatively relaxed scheduling. 

With Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain moving at a snail’s pace, it seems that they are not focused on other areas that need immediate attention. With two weeks to go before the new season kicks off, and their transfer activity having hardly been satisfactory, Liverpool may end up repeating last season’s mistakes: focusing all their energy on marquee signings and ignoring other key areas, which could again result in disjointed and inconsistent performances all season long. 

I hope that doesn’t end up being the case, as the Premier League is widely regarded as the most competitive league in the world with a large audience. As one of football’s biggest global clubs with millions of followers, Liverpool must remain competitive and challenge for silverware. 

For now, though, the signs look ominous, as they are yet to secure the required signings, with the management putting new head coach Andoni Iraola in a precarious position due to the lack of major additions to the squad. If they fail to address the key areas this summer, there is a possibility that the most successful club in England could even miss out on a Champions League spot this time around, as well as endure another abysmal and trophyless season.