Remarkably, this is Liverpool’s third tumultuous season in the past six years.
Since Jurgen Klopp took over as manager 10 years ago and changed the course of the club’s history, the Anfield outfit has experienced both the peaks and troughs of this great game, winning accolades including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Arne Slott exceeded almost everyone’s expectations by leading Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season without Klopp in the dugout.
However, the Dutch manager is a pale shadow of who he was last year, when the Reds were fifth in the table for the majority of the season. Much depends on the upcoming FA Cup match against Manchester City and the knockout tie with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.
There have been calls for Slott to sign P45, but the press conference suggested that FSG remain loyal to their head coach and are planning a summer transfer to suit his system.
Liverpool’s succession plan for Mohamed Salah
The summer transfer window will not be as busy as last year’s, which saw record spending, but Mohamed Salah’s announcement this week highlighted the need for a new top winger.
The Egyptian king has fallen from his unparalleled standards since almost single-handedly winning last year’s title and will leave the club on a free transfer.
Replacing this legend will be an impossible and unenviable task, but one that Slott, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes will have to take on and bring in a new right-winger who can play a key role in their title-chasing side.
Bayern Munich’s Michael Oliseh and PSG prospect Desiree Douai have emerged as the frontrunners, but both wingers are considered untouchables due to their attire. RB Leipzig’s Yann Diomande, 19, is a more realistic target, but FSG are balked at the Ivorian’s £87m price tag.
According to TEAMtalk, the Reds are said to be ready to land the Toffees talisman, with Manchester United also wanted and have found a controversial replacement in Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, who is worth £75m.
Of course, this will not be easy to achieve, but Liverpool’s interest is genuine and Ndiaye has his sights set on higher ground in Europe after two impressive years at Goodison Park.
Why Liverpool want to sign Iliman Nidae
The last time Liverpool and Everton made a direct transfer to the first team was back in 2002. Abel Xavier joined the Reds for around £750,000 after three years as a Toffees player, but his time at Anfield was nothing to write home about.
Ndiai will arrive with different expectations. The 26-year-old was Everton’s top scorer last season, scoring 17 goals and providing three assists in 64 appearances.
Possessing frightening speed and tricky dribbling skills, he is exactly what the team in the slot was missing. In fact, one prominent Premier League analyst even went so far as to say that Ndiaye was “another copycat”, and not just because of their shared citizenship.
Ndiaye is a destructive and direct winger who is aggressive on the ball and relentlessly drives the ball into dangerous areas. He can score and he can assist.
Diomande has the world at his feet, but Liverpool can’t afford to spend nine figures on a player early in his career. For example, Florian Wirths has proven that the Premier League is a difficult division to adapt to, while Ndiaye is doing his best in England’s top flight.
League comparison (2025/26) | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (* per 90) | i go | Diomand |
Match (start) | 25(25) | 26(21) |
the goal | 6 | 10 |
assist | 3 | 6 |
Number of shots (on target)* | 1.2(0.6) | 1.6 (0.8) |
missed a big opportunity | 1 | 4 |
Exact path* | 25.6 (84%) | 27.2 (85%) |
A big opportunity has arisen | 6 | 11 |
Key pass* | 0.9 | 1.7 |
It was successful. dribble* | 2.2 (53%) | 3.3 (58%) |
collect* | 6.0 | 4.3 |
Tackle + Interception* | 2.7 | 1.3 |
Win a duel* | 6.2 (47%) | 5.4 (48%) |
Diomande joined Leipzig from Spanish side Leganes last summer and there is no doubt that he is riding the crest of a wave. However, the teenager still has a lot of work to do and whether he is ready to take the baton from Liverpool in the Premier League is another matter entirely.
Salah’s departure is not just painful. It is the end of an era, the door closing on the journey of a man who has given the Anfield team so much joy.
Mane left a few years ago but he is also an unstoppable force, having signed for £35m from Southampton’s district rivals.
Could Ndiaye be the next version? He’s certainly not Salah, but then who is? If anything, given that Ndiaye bears similarities to his compatriot Mane and is well-established as a sharp attacker in the Premier League, he could be the perfect upgrade for Salah and a replacement for Diomande, whose youth and inexperience could see him receive his first period of protection in the slot squad.
Liverpool’s failure to leave Anfield for £12m is now better than Salah
Liverpool made a huge mistake in allowing one of their once-talented players to leave Anfield.
