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Mikel Arteta, Arne Slot and Pep Guardiola(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool might have lost away at Fulham on Sunday, but that does little to change the fact that the Reds have been the dominant side in the Premier League this season.

They need a maximum of just 11 points from their final seven games to be crowned champions for a joint-record 20th time.

It has been a remarkable maiden campaign in England for Arne Slot, especially since many had written Liverpool off before the season even began following the departure of the long-serving Jurgen Klopp after a trophy-laden nine years.



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Yet the Reds have defied the odds and currently sit 11 points clear at the top of the table, with defeat at Fulham only their second loss in the league all season.

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Liverpool’s fortunes under Slot are made even more impressive by the fact he is working with a pretty much fully-inherited squad.

Federico Chiesa was the Reds’ only summer signing, but he has made just four Premier League substitute appearances so far this season.

Meanwhile, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Adrian were the only senior departures, leaving when their contracts expired, with the former pair opting to retire and the latter returning to Real Betis on a free transfer.

Admittedly, such stability has aided Liverpool this season and helped Slot’s men on their way to the Premier League title.

With their title-rivals falling short, it has been left to the Reds to take full advantage.

But it looks set to be a different story at Liverpool next season as Slot gets his fingerprints fully imprinted on his squad, with the Reds anticipated to be fairly active once the transfer window opens.

A number of players in the Liverpool squad have question marks hanging over their futures, led by the out-of-contract trio of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

While the latter pair have both publicly admitted they wish to stay put at Anfield, the former is seemingly edging closer to leaving his boyhood club for Real Madrid.

If any of the trio depart, the Reds will have to react.

Meanwhile, beyond Alisson Becker, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch and Conor Bradley, it would not be a major surprise if any of Slot’s other contracted players departed this summer either for a variety of reasons - though that’s not to say we should expect 20 senior departures.

Liverpool have already agreed a £29m deal with Valencia to sign goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili this summer, while they will also be in the market for both a centre-forward and a left-back at least.

But throw in departures and further recruitment will be needed, with it not beyond the realms of possibility that the Reds could also be in need of a new centre-back, right-back, defensive and attacking midfielders or additional forwards either.

With Chiesa the only new arrival last summer, you have to go back to the summer of 2016 for the last time Liverpool made more than four senior signings in the same transfer window.

It would be no surprise if that changed this summer as the Reds start to break up Klopp’s leftover squad and take their next steps under Slot.

Yet by doing so, they will lose the stability and advantage that gave them such a swift start under the Dutchman in the first place.

So it’s perhaps just as well that it could be a similarly busy transfer window for a number of Liverpool’s possible title-rivals too.

Mikel Arteta has already promised a ‘big summer’ at Arsenal, having fallen short in the title-race for the third year in a row.

“It’s going to be a big one and we are very excited about it,” he said last week.

A further revamp is needed, as showcased by their struggles this season but complicated by the ongoing charges against them for alleged financial breaches.

Beyond the traditional title-favourites in recent years, Chelsea have already agreed a £62.4m double deal with Sporting Lisbon to sign midfielders Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo, though the former will stay put with the Portuguese club in 2025/26.

They will also sign Estevao William from Palmeiras (£29m) and Kendry Paez from Independiente (£17.27m) this summer, with such business not expected to be the limit of their activity in what is anticipated to be yet another busy transfer window at Stamford Bridge.

Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will have to strengthen their hands considerably too, after dismal seasons that leave them 13th and 14th in the Premier League respectively.

They could be bolstered by Champions League qualification though, should either club win this season’s Europa League.

And with third-placed Nottingham Forest on track to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and Newcastle United and Aston Villa also both in contention, considerable recruitment can be expected for the sides that book their place in Europe’s elite club competition.

As demonstrated by Liverpool and Arsenal, at least, both being in the market for a new centre-forward, the Premier League’s biggest sides could find themselves battling for the same players when the transfer window opens.

Should there indeed be limited stability across the board if so many sides do bring in multiple new recruits, no-one will be able to follow the Reds' example next season.

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As a result, whichever club’s summer signings settle in quickest could end up having a decisive say in whether Slot’s champions elect can defend the Premier League title and which sides stand the best chance of stopping them.


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