Arne Slot could be celebrating an eight-point lead over Manchester City if Liverpool can beat Southampton on Sunday, but the head coach will still be keen to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window.
Although Slot was handed over an incredibly strong squad by former boss Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool has still exceeded expectations this season and has a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League to show for it. Mohamed Salah has continued his dominance and Luis Diaz has shown a vast improvement, but there are still positions that Liverpool need to strengthen in.
The main concern at Anfield is the expiring contracts of Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and retaining Liverpool’s top stars is a priority for Slot over bringing in new faces. While there’s hope that Salah and Van Dijk will re-sign, Alexander-Arnold’s future is still up in the air.
Along with compiling a list of transfer targets, Slot is also expected to make some roster decisions and remove those that don’t feature in his future plans. Here, Liverpool.com brings you the latest transfer news surrounding Anfield.
Ipswich enter race for Wataru Endo
When Liverpool failed to bring in a top holding midfielder last summer, Klopp moved fast to sign the experienced Wataru Endo from Stuttgart. The Japan international has proven to be a valuable squad player, but is not expected to be at the club at the start of next season.
Liverpool’s failure to secure both Moises Caicedo and Martin Zubimendi has seen Ryan Gravenberch given more game time, and the Dutch midfielder has been one of the standout players this season. Endo has featured mostly off the bench this season, but could be sold in January.
Endo has been linked with AC Milan, Celtic, Fulham, and Wolves, but now Ipswich has entered the race, according to Football Insider. The loan move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips has not worked out, and Ipswich could move for Endo as they seek Premier League survival after being promoted last season.
Slot may not sanction a move until the summer due to wanting depth in the holding role, and he loaned out Stefan Bajcetic to Red Bull Salzburg on deadline day. However, if Ipswich makes an irresistible offer, it’s unlikely that Liverpool will turn it down.
Federico Chiesa responds to loan speculation
When Liverpool signed Federico Chiesa this summer for just $13 million, it was seen as a risk-free gamble, as although the Italian has seen his career halted due to injuries, he was once seen as one of the top talents in Europe. Liverpool fans are still yet to see much of Chiesa due to his lack of fitness, leading to speculation he could be loaned out in January.
Slot also addressed Chiesa’s situation, as he said: “I would not use the word concern, but it is far from ideal for him and us. Because with the injury of Diogo Jota we have four attackers available, so this could have been a great moment for him to get more playing time.
“It is difficult for a player who missed out on pre-season and playing pre-season games and training sessions. You have to give a player more time to get to the intensity levels. It is a difficult balance to get him where we want but we are trying and he is trying everything he can to get to these levels.”
Chiesa had also taken a break from social media as he focused on his fitness regime, but on Saturday he broke his silence when uploading a picture of himself smiling in training. His only caption was a smile emoji, making it clear that he’s very happy at Liverpool after claiming it was a “dream move” in the summer.
