As Liverpool return to the Premier League action with their new-look and expensive squad, some previous comments from Jamie Carragher have popped back up
Jamie Carragher’s theory last season has come true(Image: YouTube/Stick to Football podcast)
Arne Slot could unleash the full force of his new recruits when Liverpool travel to face Burnley on Sunday. After Alexander Isak arrived at Anfield for a Premier League record £125million, the Reds boss could deploy the Swede against Scott Parker’s side, along with £116m ace Florian Wirtz and £79m forward Hugo Ekitike.
This summer of unprecedented spending has raised the bar for Liverpool, who are the only team in the division with a 100% winning start to the new campaign. It has been a breathtaking few months for Slot, who wasted no time in refreshing a squad which won the Premier League last season.
The Dutchman’s aggressive spending totalling £446m may have also pleased Jamie Carragher, who previously accused the ex-Feyenoord boss of not fully trusting a squad which was still shaped in Jurgen Klopp’s image. The ex-Reds defender made those comments towards the end of April, when Liverpool only needed one singular point to win the Premier League title.
Slot was working wonders with the players at his disposal, but having only signed Federico Chiesa in his first transfer window, it was clear the success still had Klopp’s fingerprints over it. Carragher suggested this was something Slot would change, before admitting he was not convinced the Reds manager trusted the players at his disposal.
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Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast at the time, Carragher said: “If you look at Liverpool this season – this is not the manager’s squad, it is Jürgen Klopp’s.
“Arne Slot doesn’t trust the squad. When people talk about Liverpool at the end of the season, their style during the winter is not the same and is not consistent like the rest of the season.
“Slot plays the same players every week. We don’t know if that’s his way of play, but we will probably find out next season. If Ibrahima Konaté or Virgil Van Dijk got injured, who would come in at the back really?
Arne Slot wasted no time in refreshing his squad(Image: 2025 Liverpool FC)
“They have Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez, who is injury prone. Liverpool need another centre-back to really push Konaté. The same also applies in central midfield with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.”
Slot took a root and stem approach to the transfer window this summer, uprooting some old Klopp favourites, before implanting his own stars. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, key players Klopp fought for, were sold to Bayern Munich and Al-Hilal respectively, while Quansah, Ben Doak, Caoimhin Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold all departed, the latter at the end of his contract.
Slot re-shaped the forward line with Isak, Ekitike and Wirtz and bolstered the back four with Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and 18-year-old central defensive prospect Giovanni Leoni. Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi almost arrived as one of the final pieces of his puzzle, but a move for the England international collapsed on transfer deadline day.
Florian Wirtz’s £116m arrival from Bayer Leverkusen set the tone for how the transfer window would be for Liverpool(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Slot’s major overhaul has seemingly proved Carragher’s instincts correct, even if the additions did not address all of the areas the ex-defender identified. After the trip to Turf Moor, the Reds face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, before playing host to city rivals Everton.
The results have been excellent for Slot, but there’s a feeling the performances are not yet fully up to scratch. Liverpool were defensively exposed by Bournemouth and Newcastle United, shipping four goals across the two games, but tightened up the backline against Arsenal.
Dominik Szoboszlai, a player Klopp heavily relied on, ensured the perfect record extended into the international break with his perfect free-kick securing a narrow 1-0 victory over the north Londoners at Anfield.
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