When it became clear that Liverpool would be crowned Premier League champions in Arne Slott’s first season at the club, well before the title was rubber-stamped and sealed, sporting director Richard Hughes suggested the summer transfer window would be a significant one.
After all, it’s clear that Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to move to Real Madrid when his contract expires, and the likes of Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz have also been linked with moves. Liverpool needed a left-back.
And Liverpool brought in a wide range of new talent, breaking financial records as FSG added depth to their title-winning squad in the slot.
However, it goes without saying that the Reds have lost nine of their last 12 games in 2025/26, with back-to-back defeats against Nottingham Forest at Anfield and PSV Eindhoven.
The balance is completely off and the team has lost confidence. It’s no surprise that Hughes is gearing up for a return to the transfer market.
Liverpool’s winter transfer plans
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher is among those advocating for FSG to shell out their wallets and sign a centre-back this January. However, Ibrahima Konate’s disastrous situation has dampened Real Madrid’s interest, with talks continuing on Merseyside over the French star’s renewal.
The need for a quality winger is even more pressing as he was unable to replace Dias, who was sold to Bayern Munich in August.
That’s why Liverpool have set their sights on Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, who has been in good form in the Premier League this season and is seen as a top target on Merseyside, with a £65m move looming large in January.
However, Hughes has drawn up a list of multiple targets, and Liverpool could even name a more suitable player in Rafael Leao, who has a similar style to the Ghanaian.
Liverpool have reignited their long-standing interest in AC Milan star Leo and are ready to make a formal winter offer worth €120m (about £105m), according to Spanish sources.
This would be a significant outlay for Liverpool after their summer spending spree, but desperate times call for desperate measures and Kodi Gakpo on the left does not look convincing.
Why Liverpool should sign Rafael Leao
Leo, 26, is one of the best wide forwards in the world.
This season, he has made a good start, scoring five goals and providing one assist in all competitions. Although he has not been as dynamic as he has been in recent years in Serie A, he supports coach Maximiliano Allegri’s simple style of play and has been clinical in the final third.
At Liverpool, Leo will likely be used in a different way. Slot will need more width and versatility on the wing to restore balance to an ailing front line.
One of the most clinical wingers in Serie A this season, Leo maintains such athleticism and creativity in his play. On the other hand, Gakpo has always been criticized for being too one-dimensional.
League Stats 25/26 – Rafael Leao vs Kodi Gakpo | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | lion | Also |
Number of points scored | 0.67 | 0.29 |
assist | 0.17 | 0.20 |
shot taken | 2.17 | 2.94 |
Pass completion rate (%) | 75.8 | 71.3 |
Action to set goals | 0.50 | 0.39 |
progressive path | 3.01 | 3.43 |
through ball | 0.84 | 0.39 |
progressive carry | 3.35 | 4.41 |
successful take-up | 0.84 | 1.47 |
Number of balls collected | 2.17 | 3.13 |
aerial won | 1.17 | 1.86 |
Data via FBref | ||
It is interesting that Gakpo is a little more aggressive in duel situations than Leo, while also running with the ball more often. However, this season has been an outlier for the Portuguese winger as far as ball-carrying metrics are concerned.
In fact, as well as being hailed as “one of the best left wingers in the world” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Leo has also been described as “unstoppable” when on the ball by journalist Zach Lowy.
Gakpo may have done well in the Premier League this season and his defensive metrics are impressive, but his combination with left-back Milos Kerkes, who joined Liverpool from Bournemouth for £40m this summer, is a flattering combination.
Additionally, the Dutchman ranks in the bottom 39% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues in take-off success rate over the past year.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player, while still in possession of the ball, directly carries the ball and defeats his opponent.
While not a terrible tactical sin in itself, Gakpo’s lack of dynamism has certainly been exposed since Dias left Liverpool, and has been exacerbated by the decline of his replacement winger, 33-year-old Mohamed Salah.
Given that Gakpo has only scored four goals and provided three assists in 18 games across all competitions this season, it’s clear that Liverpool need to add depth to their front line by signing either Leo or Semenyo.
It was thought that the excitement surrounding Rio Ngmoja, who became one of the youngest ever Premier League scorers after scoring the winning goal against Newcastle in August, might have led Liverpool against signing a replacement of Dias’s caliber in the summer, but Slott has used the 17-year-old sparingly since then.
Youngest scorer in Premier League history | ||
|---|---|---|
# | player | year |
1 | james vaughan | 16 years, 8 months, 27 days |
2 | james milner | 16 years, 11 months, 22 days |
3 | wayne rooney | 16 years, 11 months, 25 days |
4 | Ngumoha River | 16 years, 11 months, 26 days |
5 | Cesc Fabregas | 17 years, 3 months, 21 days |
Described by Mattinson as “world class”, Leo’s agile and ferocious style of play is exactly what Liverpool need going forward. He fits the same mold carved for Semenyo by the FSG establishment.
It is clear that if Leo is in top form he will secure a starting place at Anfield and Hughes must now make that happen.
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