How Liverpool’s squad to start the 2026/27 Premier League season compares with last year is startling
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Meanwhile, there have been a couple of changes in Liverpool’s defensive options from 2025 to 2026.READ MORE: Liverpool fans decide whether Andoni Iraola will regret letting Curtis Jones leave for Inter MilanThe Reds actually confirmed the signing of Giovanni Leoni on the day they faced Bournemouth on opening night in August 2025, but the Italian probably represents a weaker option this time, given he has now missed 11 months with a knee injury.Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both remain as well, although it is hard to make the case that either are better than at the same stage last year.Van Dijk has played more football than ever in the past 12 months, while Gomez has struggled with fitness and is a year closer to turning 30.The one change at centre-back is that Ibrahima Konate has left to be replaced by Jeremy Jacquet. There are also even more question marks over Jeremie Frimpong than existed last year, making right-back potentially the area of the squad which has seen the most worrying change.There has been a switch at left-back as well, and though Milos Kerkez should be better for having had a year to settle in, Kostas Tsimikas is certainly a downgrade on Andy Robertson.Verdict: Weaker – Liverpool look worse at goalkeeper, right-back, centre-back and left-back.MidfieldLiverpool’s midfield will likely see one key change from last year to this one, with Curtis Jones set to finalise a move to Inter Milan.Jones departs from the same six-man group which began 25/26, and it is fair to say that his fellow midfielders have had a mixed 12 months.Ryan Gravenberch went from being a Premier League Young Player of the Year to a player who did not look comfortable with a slightly tweaked midfield role, and comes into the new campaign without the trust of many fans.Alexis Mac Allister has had a similar trajectory, but on an even more pronounced scale, and it would be hard to argue that the Argentine is the same level of player that went into the Bournemouth game last year.
Dominik Szoboszlai was the man to beat last season… Photo Credit: Getty Images/Simon Stacpoole/Offside Dominik Szoboszlai has at least improved, and the Hungarian now holds a completely different status than he did in 2025, but he is really the only one to have become better.Jones’ place in the Liverpool squad is likely to be filled by Trey Nyoni – at least for the game against Newcastle – and though the 19-year-old has had a further year of development, he did not play a great deal last term, throwing some doubt on just how much he has progressed. Verdict: Weaker – Jones’ exit and the decline of Gravenberch, Mac Allister Wirtz makes Liverpool weaker in midfield.AttackAt the time of Liverpool’s Premier League opener last year, the big unknown was whether or not the Reds would get a deal to sign Alexander Isak over the line.
The Frenchman will still add plenty when he comes back from injury, but that he cannot be counted upon until the new year at the earliest again makes Liverpool weaker.Cody Gakpo is another who has faced a decline, and is no longer the same player who so effectively rotated with Luis Diaz to help Liverpool win the Premier League. 2026 Gakpo is not the same as 2025 Gakpo and he could yet leave anyway.Federico Chiesa has had another year of not playing a great deal, and though he got the winner against Bournemouth, fans are far less excited by the prospect of the Italian as a genuine option than they were 12 months ago.Victor Munoz has been added, but if that is as a direct replacement for Salah in terms of numbers, he does not improve Liverpool.