If Cody Gakpo completes his move away from Liverpool, the Reds will have lost five important first-team players this summer.
Mohamed Salah.
Andy Robertson.
Curtis Jones.
Ibrahima Konaté.
And now potentially Cody Gakpo.
That’s a huge amount of experience and quality leaving one squad in a single transfer window.
And while Liverpool have made some impressive additions, I can’t help but look at the numbers and worry about the depth of Andoni Iraola’s squad.
Four in, potentially five out
So far, Liverpool have brought in four players.
Jeremy Jacquet.
Víctor Muñoz.
Ronald Araújo.
And, most importantly, Bradley Barcola.
There is no question that Barcola is an outstanding signing.
But when you look at the overall numbers, Liverpool could potentially be losing five players while bringing in only four.
And that’s before we even consider the impact of injuries.
The squad was already looking thin in certain areas last season.
The bench was often a concern.
Now we’re potentially going into another demanding campaign with even fewer experienced options.
The bench worries me most
This is the part that concerns me.
It’s one thing to have a strong starting XI.
It’s another thing entirely to have a strong squad.
Liverpool are going to have to deal with the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
There will be injuries.
There will be suspensions.
There will be players who simply need a rest.
And when Iraola looks towards his bench, he needs to have players who can genuinely change a game.
At the moment, I’m not convinced he has enough of them.
The youngsters deserve opportunities, but we shouldn’t be relying on them because the squad wasn’t strengthened enough.
Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha and the other academy players can have important roles.
But asking them to regularly carry the responsibility of replacing established Premier League players would be unfair.
Losing Gakpo would make this even worse
Gakpo isn’t just another player.
He’s incredibly versatile.
He can play on the left.
He can play on the right.
He can play through the middle.
He can score.
He can create.
And he can give the manager a different option when a game isn’t going Liverpool’s way.
If he joins Manchester City, Liverpool won’t simply be losing another attacker.
They’ll be losing another important squad option.
And they’ll be strengthening one of their biggest rivals at the same time.
That’s why Liverpool have to think very carefully about this one.
We spent big last summer
There’s another part of this that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Liverpool spent an enormous amount of money last summer.
Florian Wirtz.
Alexander Isak.
Jeremie Frimpong.
Milos Kerkez.
And others.
The club invested heavily to strengthen the squad.
But this summer has been a very different story.
Barcola is obviously a massive investment, but overall Liverpool haven’t recruited in the same way across the squad.
And that’s where I think the frustration comes from.
It’s not about wanting Liverpool to spend money for the sake of it.
It’s about seeing obvious weaknesses and wanting them addressed.
Liverpool still need three more
If Gakpo leaves, my view is very simple.
Liverpool need three more signings before the window closes on Tuesday.
A midfielder.
Another winger.
And another attacking option who can provide cover for Isak.
Those positions would give Iraola much more depth and flexibility.
The midfielder is particularly important.
We’ve already seen in the opening games that Liverpool’s midfield can look too open.
And with Curtis Jones gone, there is even more reason to bring somebody in.
Barcola can’t solve everything
Barcola is an outstanding signing.
I’m incredibly excited to see him play for Liverpool.
But we can’t expect one player to solve every problem.
He doesn’t fix the midfield.
He doesn’t fix the full-back situation.
He doesn’t give Iraola another centre-forward.
And if Gakpo leaves, Barcola essentially replaces one attacking player rather than adding another option to the squad.
That’s the distinction Liverpool need to understand.
Replacing players isn’t the same as strengthening the squad.
👀 Iraola has been handed a difficult job
I feel for Iraola in this situation.
He’s inherited a squad that has undergone significant change.
He’s lost some huge personalities and experienced players.
He’s also dealing with injuries and a lack of depth.
Yet he’ll still be expected to compete for trophies.
That’s a massive challenge.
And the manager has already shown during his time at Bournemouth that he can get an awful lot out of his players.
Give him a deeper squad and I genuinely believe he can do something special.
But asking him to perform miracles with a small squad isn’t fair.
My verdict
If Gakpo leaves, Liverpool will have lost five first-team players this summer.
They’ve brought in four.
And the squad was already looking thin.
That’s why I don’t think Liverpool can simply close the book on the transfer window after Barcola arrives.
Three more players.
That’s what I’d like to see.
A midfielder.
Another winger.
And another attacking option.
It doesn’t have to mean another £100m superstar.
It means giving Iraola enough players to properly compete.
Because Liverpool have ambitions of challenging for trophies.
And you don’t win trophies with 11 players.
You win them with a squad.
Right now, I’m not convinced Liverpool’s squad is big enough.
And if Gakpo leaves, that concern only becomes bigger.
Liverpool have until Tuesday to fix it.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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