Liverpool’s 2025/26 campaign got off to a poor start after losing on penalties to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon – and Virgil van Dijk, in the wake of the loss, made a clear transfer demand to Arne Slot and his entourage.
After Hugo Ekitike scored the opener within four minutes of play getting underway, it finished 2-2 after 90 minutes, and it was Justin Devenny’s well-struck spot-kick that was the decider after Palace shot-stopper Dean Henderson stepped up once again.
The Reds, after winning the Premier League in Slot’s maiden season, have not been afraid to splash the cash this summer – but club captain Van Dijk has implored the Dutch tactician to continue spending after losing to Oliver Glasner’s side.
Van Dijk Makes Clear Transfer Demand to Slot
Despite being quick out of the blocks, with Ekitike scoring early on, the south Londoners were a tough test for Slot – widely regarded as one of world football’s best managers – and his men. The second half, especially, showed that the reigning champions of England are often wasteful in the final third.
As a result, Van Dijk is keen to see more faces arrive this summer. Speaking to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook after the game, the ex-Southampton defender claimed that losing Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz to Al-Hilal and Bayern Munich, respectively, means that more attacking reinforcements are required. He said:
“Well, we just lost Darwin, He went to Saudi, and we lost Lucho [Luis Diaz], obviously he went to Bayern. I think there’s always room for an attacker in order to strengthen us so let’s see what the window brings in terms of the balance of the team.”
While Van Dijk remained coy in terms of naming who, you could bet your bottom dollar that he’s implying that Liverpool’s higher-ups should return to the negotiating table for Newcastle United marksman Alexander Isak, who is keen on a move to Anfield.
Reportedly, the club’s initial offer – worth in the region of £110 million – for the Swedish sharpshooter was snubbed by Newcastle. Now, he isn’t willing to sign a new contract in the northeast, which could leave the door ajar for a move.
Slot, however, believes that Liverpool are well-stocked in the forward department. “I think we have more than enough options to be good enough to win again. This is where I focus on myself. With the players we have we should be able to win to score. That’s actually what we did well. We scored twice and last season we only scored one against them, away and at home.”
“We could only score one against them. So my last concern at the moment is our offensive quality. It’s more. It’s not a concern, but if I look at the amount of goals we’ve conceded in preseason. That’s not of our standard.”