Fabrizio Romano has revealed how Liverpool chiefs internally view the four first-team signings they brought to the club last summer.
It was an off-season of much change at Anfield, with no fewer than five senior midfielders departing and four coming in, three of whom were 24 or younger at the time of their arrival.
In his latest Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, the Italian transfer reporter has said that the Reds’ hierarchy couldn’t be happier with their recruitment in 2023.
Romano outlined: “Four new signings came in, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all joining and looking now like fine business by Liverpool.
“My understanding is that Liverpool are super happy with how they handled this important phase of recruitment. Not just now, but already in September Liverpool felt they did an excellent job. Mac Allister in particular is considered an incredible signing, a bargain considering conditions of the deal.
“It’s the same with all the other midfielders who joined the club, especially Endo, who was not the biggest name but who has surprised a few people here in England, and they’re also convinced that Gravenberch’s future will be at the very top level as he bounces back from a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.”
For a time last summer, it felt as if Liverpool were slow to progress with rebuilding the midfield. By the time of our first Premier League match against Chelsea in August, only Mac Allister and Szoboszlai had arrived, and the Reds were also hit by the unexpected double whammy of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho leaving for Saudi Arabia.
The frustration for some supporters was compounded by missing out on two heavily-linked targets in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both went to Stamford Bridge for a combined £173m.
Nearly seven months on, the outlook could hardly be more different. Once Endo and Gravenberch were signed, it felt as if LFC had adequately addressed their midfield depth, with the four summer signings brought in for an overall sum of £147m (Transfermarkt).
Not only did Liverpool add two more midfielders than Chelsea for £26m less, they’ve also enjoyed far better value for that quartet than the Blues have with their aforementioned duo.
In one single transfer window, Anfield chiefs may have sorted that area of the pitch for the next several years, turning a problem position into one of considerable strength within a matter of months.