One of the most interesting moments to come out of the Liverpool Round Table between Arne Slot, Richard Hughes and Billy Hogan was the Reds’ philosophy regarding transfers and other players they bring in to the club. Slot made it clear in the interview that he likes to play “Nice Football”, which focuses on possession, but there is alot of things that go on behind the scenes before bringing a player to Anfield.
Age
It’s clear that Liverpool value young players, ones that can stay at the club long term and help the club in multiple seasons, not just one campaign. Look at Florian Wirtz (22), Hugo Ekitiké (23) and Alexander Isak (26). Liverpool spent the majority of their record £446 million transfer fees on this trio, who have not yet reached their prime and are still developing.
“The ages of the players we have recruited is very deliberate to make sure we are not only competitive now but competitive for the mid-term future,” Hughes said.
“We knew that the first summer together… wasn’t going to be a particularly active one. Alongside ownership with their long-term vision, they like to do things with the metrics and the data in their favour. The best way to do that is to prepare one year ahead.”
Finding A Balance
Of course, the squad can not be totally made up of new young upstarts and balancing minutes in a big club like Liverpool can be tough. Salah was unhappy at times with being dropped to the bench, and fan favourite Andy Robertson has seen his minutes dwindle in favour of Milos Kerkez.
“Some Sporting Directors I have worked with only want you to play the players that they brought in,” Slot said. “Richard is not that way. His focus is on winning Championships. He leaves the on-field decisions to me. The fans may not like it in this moment, but I appreciate it.”
"Of course, we talk about football and performances, but I always let Arne lead that," Hughes added."Naturally, in a conversation, I will come up with an opinion and not just react to Arne's, but always waiting for the right time to share these things is critical."Did it help that we came in together at the same point? Possibly. But it's more important that we had synergy right from the first moment."Understanding who he is as a football manager, how he wants to work, trying your best, and it's not always possible to put them in the best possible position to have all the tools they require, and that's what I feel my job is then."
The Result
You can see both of these factors at work in the recent signing of Jérémy Jacquet from Rennes. The 20-year-old defender is young and talented, but we have plenty of time to learn and grow as a player in Liverpool colours. He fits the mould perfectly of the type of player the Reds want as described above, and he could be the eventual replacement for Ibrahima Konaté or Andy Robertson, whose contracts expire at the end of the season.
LFC Globe Verdict
Patience is a virtue for Liverpool, both in their style of play with possession and long build-up and when it comes to signing players. Fans and pundits alike have been clamouring for the Reds to make a big, splashy signing to help the club out this season, but the brass have decided to take the long-term approach, as evidenced by the signing of Jacquet. This ensures the long-term health of the club and signals that they not only want to compete for titles now, but for decades to come.
