What a time to be a Liverpool fan. With the news that Jürgen Klopp has extended his contract at Anfield beyond 2024, the Reds look set to become a real bastion of invincibility once again under the German. Having been in England for six and a half years now, Klopp is in the process of building a dynasty after inheriting a rather average initial squad, and if Liverpool do complete a remarkable quadruple, as the online betting is predicting, he will surely be regarded as one of the best managers in the club’s history.
With one eye on Paris, Klopp still has the chance of finishing the season with a clean sweep of trophies – the League Cup, which they won back in February, the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League. But what next? This is a squad in its prime years but with some familiar faces expected to be heading for the exit door at Anfield, you wonder who they could sign to keep their squad as competitive as possible. Read on, as we take a look at a few players that would improve this already impressive Liverpool team.
Aurélien Tchouaméni
There’s perhaps no midfielder more sought after this summer than Monaco’s Aurélien Tchouaméni. With Erling Haaland leaving Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga side will not want to part with two of their brightest talents, making Jude Bellingham all but impossible this year, but Tchouaméni looks like the perfect fit for Liverpool’s midfield, with the Frenchman commanding similar attributes to Bellingham, at a much cheaper price.
Liverpool’s potential influence as European Champions could grab Tchouaméni’s attention, and his combative style would complement the flair of Thiago nicely as the two more advanced midfielders ahead of Fabinho. The move would likely set owners FSG back around £45 million.
Marcus Rashford
Although Liverpool already have a plethora of attacking options, it looks likely Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino will be departing the Reds this summer, meaning Klopp could delve into the market for another versatile forward.
Yes, a move for Marcus Rashford appears controversial, foolish even as a premise, but with the England international still not guaranteed a spot in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, and just a year on his contract at Manchester United, Rashford could make the move for the sake of his career.
His style suits Klopp and while Rashford has struggled at Old Trafford throughout the last couple of years, even ex-Red Devils like Roy Keane can see a move away makes sense.
“He needs someone to light his fire again because I’ve not seen an improvement since he was 19 years of age. Imagine if he was with Klopp or Guardiola and the improvement he would have made,” Keane said, “The fact is, we’re saying he’s 24 years of age, he’s been in the England squad a few times and he’s lost his way there and at Man United. We’re saying we’re not sure of his best position, that’s a worrying sign.”
Vitinha
A theme of Klopp’s Liverpool tenure has been his development of players, and a move for Porto’s Vitinha looks a smart one for the future, especially given the success of Luis Díaz so far in red. Despite a rather underwhelming loan spell as part of the Portuguese contingent at Wolverhampton Wanderers last season, the 22-year-old showed glimpses of promise, and you’d assume when surrounded by a better calibre of player and a less defensive system, that we will see more consistency from Vitinha should he play for Klopp.
