Today, as Liverpool supporters remember and celebrate the birthday of the great Bill Shankly, I find myself thinking about something that has been on my mind throughout this summer.
Have Liverpool really done enough?
Shankly was born in Glenbuck, Scotland, on September 2, 1913, before going on to become the man who transformed Liverpool Football Club after arriving at Anfield in 1959.
He didn’t just build a football team.
He helped build the identity of Liverpool Football Club.
He understood what the club could become.
He understood the importance of the supporters.
And, perhaps most importantly, he never accepted mediocrity.
So on the anniversary of his birth, I can’t help looking at Liverpool’s transfer business and wondering what Shankly would have made of it.
There is plenty to be excited about
Let’s be fair.
Liverpool have spent an enormous amount of money this summer.
They have brought in some genuinely exciting players.
Bradley Barcola is the obvious headline.
Liverpool have finally completed the signing of the French winger from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth £106m initially, potentially rising to £123m.
And I absolutely love the signing.
Barcola is the sort of player who makes you want to get out of your seat.
He’s quick.
He’s direct.
He can beat defenders.
He can create.
And there is something about watching him that makes you think there is another level waiting to come out of him.
Then there is Victor Muñoz, another player I am really excited about.
Ronald Araújo gives Liverpool a hugely experienced defender on loan from Barcelona.
Jérémy Jacquet has now arrived at Liverpool after his transfer from Rennes was agreed earlier in the year.
And there are also longer-term additions such as Lucca Brughmans and Djylian N’Guessan.
So this isn’t a summer where Liverpool have sat on their hands.
Far from it.
There has been ambition.
There has been serious investment.
And there have been some fantastic signings.
But something still doesn’t feel right
And this is where I keep coming back to Shankly.
Because despite all that money being spent, I still feel as though Liverpool have left this squad unfinished.
And that’s what frustrates me.
I don’t think Liverpool needed to spend another £100m just for the sake of it.
I don’t think every position needed another player.
But there were some glaring weaknesses that I believe should have been addressed.
We needed a defensive midfielder
This was my biggest concern going into the summer.
And it remains my biggest concern now.
Liverpool needed someone who could give the midfield protection.
Someone who could win the ball.
Someone who could read danger.
Someone who could give the more attacking players the freedom to express themselves.
Instead, Liverpool have gone into the season without that specialist defensive midfielder.
Maybe Iraola can make his system work without one.
Maybe the midfield will eventually develop the necessary balance.
But after watching the opening games, I’m not convinced.
And that worries me.
We needed a right-back
This is another position where I think Liverpool should have done more.
Jeremie Frimpong is an exciting footballer.
But he isn’t the conventional defensive right-back some Liverpool supporters were hoping for.
And when you look at the demands placed on the full-backs in modern football, you need players who can contribute at both ends of the pitch.
We’ve already seen moments this season where Liverpool have looked vulnerable in those areas.
I don’t think another right-back would have been an unnecessary luxury.
I think it was a genuine need.
And then there is Mohamed Salah
This is probably the most difficult one.
Because how do you replace Mohamed Salah?
You probably don’t.
But Liverpool still needed to replace what Salah gave the team.
Goals.
Assists.
Pace.
Consistency.
Fear.
The ability to win a game almost by himself.
Barcola is an outstanding signing and could become a superstar at Anfield.
But he isn’t Salah.
And Liverpool still don’t have a natural right-winger who looks like an obvious successor to the Egyptian.
That leaves a huge hole.
And what happens if Isak gets injured?
This is another area that concerns me.
Liverpool have Alexander Isak.
And I absolutely believe in him.
But with Hugo Ekitike unavailable long term, Liverpool have lost an important option from the forward line.
What happens if Isak gets injured?
What happens if he needs a rest during a Champions League run?
What happens when Liverpool are playing every three days?
That’s when squad depth becomes incredibly important.
And I don’t think Liverpool have quite enough of it in attack.
We’ve spent almost £400m — so why am I still worried?
This is the strange thing.
Liverpool have spent a huge amount of money.
The summer has included major investment, with Barcola alone costing a guaranteed £106m and potentially £123m with add-ons.
Yet I still look at the squad and see weaknesses.
That’s what makes this summer so difficult to judge.
On one hand, we’ve signed some incredibly exciting footballers.
On the other, we’ve failed to address some positions that I believe were obvious weaknesses.
It’s possible to be excited by the signings and frustrated by the squad building at the same time.
That’s exactly where I am.
What would Shankly have thought?
Obviously, none of us can know.
But I like to think Shankly would have looked beyond the price tags.
He wouldn’t have been impressed simply because Liverpool spent more than everyone else.
He would have wanted to know:
Have we built the best team we possibly can?
Have we strengthened the weaknesses?
Have we given the manager the tools he needs?
Have we built a squad capable of competing with the best?
And most importantly:
Are we giving the supporters something to believe in?
That’s what Shankly was so good at.
He made Liverpool supporters believe.
He made them feel part of something.
And that standard has stayed with the football club long after his departure.
That’s why I’m giving this summer 4/10
I’ve thought long and hard about this.
Because if I judged the window purely on the excitement of the signings, I’d give it much higher.
Barcola alone makes me excited.
Muñoz looks hugely promising.
Araújo is a fantastic addition.
Jacquet could become an excellent Liverpool defender.
The youngsters arriving for the future could prove to be very clever business.
But a transfer window isn’t just about signing exciting players.
It’s about building a complete squad.
And for me, Liverpool haven’t done that.
No defensive midfielder.
No specialist right-back.
No direct replacement for Salah.
No adequate additional striker option with Ekitike out long term.
Those are four massive concerns.
That’s why I can’t go beyond 4/10.
Maybe I’m being too negative
I hope I am.
I genuinely do.
I hope Barcola scores 25 goals.
I hope Muñoz becomes a star.
I hope Araújo stays fit and dominates.
I hope Frimpong and Kerkez become brilliant in Iraola’s system.
I hope the midfield develops into exactly what the manager wants.
And I hope Alexander Isak stays fit and scores 30 goals.
Because if all of that happens, I’ll happily come back here and admit I got it completely wrong.
I’d love nothing more.
But today is about Shankly
And perhaps that’s why I’ve been thinking about this so much.
Bill Shankly wasn’t satisfied with Liverpool simply being good.
He wanted Liverpool to be Liverpool.
He wanted standards.
He wanted ambition.
He wanted the club to look forward rather than settle for what it already had.
Liverpool have spent big this summer.
They have made some exciting signings.
They have given supporters reasons to dream.
But I still believe they should have done more.
Not because I want Liverpool to spend another £200m.
Not because I expect every position to have two world-class players.
But because I believe there were weaknesses that everyone could see.
And on the anniversary of the birth of the man who helped turn Liverpool into the club we know today, that is what sticks with me.
Happy birthday, Bill
Shankly’s legacy isn’t measured by how much money Liverpool spend.
It isn’t measured by transfer fees.
It isn’t even measured solely by trophies.
It’s about the mentality he helped create.
Never settle.
Always strive to improve.
Always believe Liverpool can be better.
That’s why, despite the excitement surrounding Barcola and the other new arrivals, I still look at this Liverpool squad and think:
We should have done more.
Maybe the players already here will prove me wrong.
Maybe Iraola will find the answers.
Maybe Barcola will become the next superstar at Anfield.
I certainly hope so.
But if Shankly’s birthday teaches us anything, it’s that Liverpool should never be afraid to demand more.
Happy birthday, Bill.
Thank you for giving us the Liverpool Football Club we love.
And hopefully, wherever you are, you’re still demanding that we do better.
Because that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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