Liverpool have spent enormous amounts of money on individual players over the past year.
Alexander Isak arrived for £125m, while Florian Wirtz’s deal could eventually reach around £116m with add-ons.
But there’s an important distinction that needs to be made.
Liverpool spent big last summer — but this summer has been a very different story.
And despite those headline-grabbing signings, there are still obvious problems within the squad.
Last summer Liverpool spent heavily
Liverpool showed serious ambition last summer.
They invested heavily in the squad and brought in some of the biggest names available.
That spending created expectations.
Fans understandably expected Liverpool to continue strengthening this summer, particularly after winning the Premier League and identifying areas that needed improvement.
Instead, the spending hasn’t been on the same scale.
The Isak and Wirtz deals dominate the headlines, but Liverpool haven’t systematically strengthened every position that needed attention.
And that’s where the frustration comes from.
Two huge signings don’t fix everything
There’s nothing wrong with signing elite players.
Far from it.
Isak is a sensational talent.
Wirtz is one of the most exciting young attacking midfielders in Europe.
But football isn’t played on a spreadsheet.
You can’t simply spend £125m on a striker and another huge fee on a midfielder and assume every weakness in the squad disappears.
Liverpool still need balance.
They still need depth.
And they still need players who allow their biggest stars to perform.
Newcastle showed the problem
The 2-2 draw at St James’ Park was a perfect example.
Liverpool had around 60% possession and 27 attempts on goal.
Yet Newcastle repeatedly looked dangerous when they won the ball.
Liverpool’s midfield struggled to protect the defence.
The full-backs were exposed.
And Isak was left isolated for long periods.
That’s not necessarily a problem that another superstar solves.
It’s a problem that better squad construction solves.
Liverpool still need defensive balance
The biggest concern for me is the midfield.
Liverpool don’t appear convinced that they need a traditional specialist No.6 in Iraola’s system.
Instead, they want the team to defend collectively.
That’s fine in theory.
But someone still has to win the ball.
Someone has to cover the spaces when the full-backs push forward.
Someone has to stop opposition counter-attacks.
Against Newcastle, Liverpool didn’t consistently do those things well enough.
And that should have the hierarchy thinking.
Isak needs service
Then there’s the £125m man himself.
Isak barely had an impact against his former club.
But I’m not going to blame him for that.
If anything, the game demonstrated what Liverpool need to do around him.
They need pace.
They need creativity.
They need runners.
They need better service.
You don’t spend £125m on a striker and then leave him isolated.
Liverpool have to build an attacking structure that maximises what Isak can do.
Wirtz needs help too
The same applies to Wirtz.
Liverpool have invested huge money in him because they expect him to become a difference-maker.
But he can’t solve everything himself.
He needs runners ahead of him.
He needs midfielders behind him who can protect the team.
And he needs wingers capable of stretching defences.
If Liverpool’s midfield is too attacking and the wingers don’t provide enough penetration, Wirtz can easily become disconnected from the game.
This is why the summer spending matters
This is where I think Liverpool fans have a legitimate reason to question the hierarchy.
It’s not about wanting the club to spend £200m every summer.
It’s about spending intelligently where the squad needs it.
Liverpool spent heavily last summer.
This summer, the club have made some enormous individual investments, but there are still areas that haven’t been adequately addressed.
That’s frustrating because the squad is so close to being outstanding.
Liverpool have the foundations
Let’s be clear.
This isn’t a disaster.
Liverpool have an outstanding goalkeeper.
They have elite defenders.
They have Wirtz.
They have Isak.
They have quality throughout the squad.
But competing for the Premier League and Champions League requires more than a brilliant starting XI.
You need depth.
You need tactical flexibility.
You need players who can step in when injuries arrive.
And you need enough quality to survive the inevitable fixture congestion.
My verdict
I don’t want Liverpool to go out and panic-buy players simply because the transfer window is closing.
But I do want the hierarchy to look at what happened against Newcastle and ask some serious questions.
Liverpool spent big last summer.
They’ve made some huge individual investments this summer.
But have they actually addressed all of the weaknesses in the squad?
I’m not convinced.
Isak and Wirtz could become two of the biggest stars in European football.
But they need the right players around them.
Liverpool don’t necessarily need another £100m superstar.
They need balance, depth and protection.
Because right now, the Reds have spent a fortune on the headline acts.
Now they need to make sure they’ve built the supporting cast.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
Leave a Reply