Arne Slot, Liverpool's head coach, has highlighted the difficulty in finding players of the necessary quality to join the team, despite efforts to end their status as the only Premier League club yet to make a summer transfer.
Liverpool's impressive performance during their pre-season U.S. tour hasn't quelled fan concerns over the lack of transfer activity. Slot, along with new sporting director Richard Hughes, is prioritising quality over quantity in signings, emphasising the challenge of meeting high standards and securing agreements with potential players.
Slot explained as the Mirror quoted: “I notice that you are focused a lot on new signings! I am focused on the tour, how we played, what we need to improve and what we did well. Like I said, the bar is really high for new signings because we have so many good players.
“It is not easy to first find a player to meet those standards and then ask, ‘Is he available?’ Then we have to find an agreement with them. It is not always easy to find a player who can help us, but Richard is working hard on it, and let's see what comes from this.
“If Richard (Hughes) is not here, we are on the phone many times. My main focus was working with the team and preparing them in the best possible way for the first Premier League game. Apart from that, he is working on things and keeps me updated every time.”
Decisions on potential outgoings are also pending, with Joe Gomez considering his future and several peripheral players possibly leaving. Also, contractual issues with key players Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold remain unresolved.
When asked if he has a big decision on players potentially leaving, Slot disagreed that the Reds had ‘too many’ players. On Gomez, he said as the Mail reported: “He is one of our squad players, so it is the same with Trent (Alexander-Arnold), Virgil (Van Dijk), and all the others. I need to see them.
“Everyone has to be of high standards because they have probably seen the current players are doing well. I hope that the eight or nine who come in on Tuesday are ready to compete with them.”
Slot was also quizzed on contractual issues with captain Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, all with just a year left on their deals. He is yet to speak to Scouser Alexander-Arnold about this issue.
“We didn't speak about his commitment,” Slot confirmed as the Mail reported. “We only spoke about the way I wanted him to play and how he could fit in that style. He was focused on the Euros when we spoke, and I saw some clips showing that he looks really fit and sharp.
“I can't wait to see him train. But some others did quite well (on tour) as well, so it is interesting to see if the others come back and the level goes up even more. Like I said, we conceded too many chances (against United).”
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