On an annual basis The Anfield Wrap play the ‘Transfer Committee’ game where their contributors sit down and run a full Liverpool transfer window as if they were actually in charge of the club. It isn’t simply an informal chat about preferred targets and outgoings, it’s a structured simulation with budgets, wage limits, forced decisions, and even dice rolls that shape what’s possible. The whole thing is designed to mimic the pressures, compromises, and constraints of an elite club’s summer, not a fantasy‑football spree. They start with - determined by a dice roll - a fixed transfer pot of either £150m, £175m or £200m, which is able to be elevated through additional sales. Wages are handled through a unit system rather than real money: Liverpool, in this game, begin at 195 units thanks to recent departures, and the hypothetical cap is 225. Every outgoing lowers both the wage bill and the transfer pot, and every incoming eats into both. If someone wants to sign a player who would earn more than Salah, they have to justify it to the rest of the committee, it’s meant to reflect the internal politics of a real recruitment department.
The game also forces realism in terms of squad turnover. You can’t just sell half the squad and buy a new one. Some players are completely off‑limits because they’ve only just joined, recently renewed, or are essential for homegrown and academy quotas. Others have fixed transfer fees and wage valuations taken from a realistic sheet, so you can’t invent numbers or negotiate imaginary discounts. You either accept the valuation or move on. A unique part of the game is the dice. A selected group of players have their resale value determined by a dice roll, which can raise or lower their price depending on the outcome. You then have to decide whether to keep or sell them based on whatever number you get. It adds unpredictability without turning the whole thing into chaos, it mirrors how a player’s market value can fluctuate in real life. The dice also create forced decisions: this year, for example, the committee had to immediately decide whether to extend Curtis Jones on a doubled wage or sell him because he only has a year left on his contract.
Throughout the process, the contributors have to keep the squad compliant with Premier League and UEFA rules. That means staying within homegrown limits, non‑HG caps, and positional balance. You can’t overload on midfielders, you can’t leave yourself short at centre‑back, and you can’t end up with a squad that breaks registration rules. The final product has to be financially coherent, tactically sensible, and legally eligible. What the game really shows is how quickly the room has to start thinking like an actual football club rather than a bunch of supporters throwing names around. Every decision has a knock‑on effect - a sale changes the wage bill, a contract call affects the budget, one signing blocks another positionally - and they have to keep all of that in their heads at once. It becomes less about chasing shiny signings and more about managing the limits they’ve set for themselves. By the time they’re a few moves in, the whole thing feels like a proper window: you’re juggling budgets, trying to keep the squad balanced, arguing over whether a player is worth the wage hit, and realising that one wrong call can box you in for the rest of the summer. Essentially, a controlled attempt to see how far you can push a realistic Liverpool squad build without breaking the rules they’ve put in place.
A fantastic idea, again one of which I take zero credit for. There is no end to the ways I enjoy them. It may appear slightly confusing initially and I will break each section down as we reach them so you don’t have to keep referring to the following screengrabs/tables. As it reads below, remember that this is by all intents and purposes a bit of fun!
*From 2026/27, U21 players still don’t need to be registered in the Premier League squad. They remain automatically eligible as long as they qualify as U21 under the league’s age rules. For the Champions League, the rule is similar: U21s don’t take up a List A spot, but they must be added to List B, which clubs can update the night before each match. The only condition is that the player has been at the club for two full years to qualify for List B; if not, they’d need to go on List A temporarily. In simple terms: Premier League = free to use U21s. Champions League = free to use U21s as long as they meet the homegrown‑at‑club requirement.*
The negligence of last summer’s squad dismantling, combined with Iraola’s more feral, high‑demand playstyle, means Liverpool need six at an absolute minimum for me. With the departures of Ibrahima Konaté, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, I count 18 senior outfield players, and that number includes a 17‑year‑old, an 18‑year‑old, a 19‑year‑old returning from a long‑term injury, Hugo Ekitike unavailable until at least February, the persistently injured Alexander Isak and Conor Bradley, and Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo, neither of whom are really at the level to be starting serious games of football. Simply put, the squad needs a remarkable amount of surgery. Looking at Arsenal’s bench in the Champions League final, it was (a) difficult not to feel a sense of envy and (b) appreciate the value of spending £400m+ to bolster a squad as opposed to replacing it. Mikel Arteta was able to turn to: Jurrien Timber, Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Zubimendi, with Riccardo Calafori, Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino, Max Dowman and Christian Norgaard all unused substitutes.
Whole other world.
There may need to be some of Richard Hughes’ favourite words - market opportunities - in order to not annihilate John Henry’s credit card. It may not be 2010/2011 anymore. We’re not ratching through ‘bargain bins’ ending up with your Paul Koncheskys, Joe Coles, Christian Poulsens, Milan Jovanovićs of the world. The accounts are there for all to see. They’re beyond healthy. At least £700,000 p/w appears to also have been removed from the wage bill thanks to the departure of the trio on free transfers. But it just doesn’t seem feasible that there will be another £450m+ outlay. I cannot envisage a universe where, like last summer, three of the top four transfers in world football are Liverpool arrivals. There could be two ‘mega-money’ arrivals - for example Yan Diomande and Adam Wharton - though I can’t imagine LFC will exceed the £100m mark on one player.
So, as per the rules, I dug deep into the cupboard to find an old board game that contained dice. A pleasant surprise to learn that Snakes and Ladders hadn’t been chucked out a good decade ago. Lands on a 5. An initial transfer budget of 200m that can of course be strengthened with sales, though in all honesty I cannot imagine there will be too many of those.
Here comes the game’s first conundrum:
“Losing Mo Salah and Andy Robertson has our wage units at 195. Last season we ended up at 225 and we do not want to go over that. This is of paramount importance. This feeds into your first question: Curtis Jones is on 5 units but he either moves to 10 units or you are obliged to take the dice amount You can’t move him and then see the dice and then sell him."
If dice lands on 1 or 2 - Curtis Jones valued at £26m
If dice lands on 3 or 4 - Curtis Jones valued at £35m
If dice lands on 5 or 6 - Curtis Jones valued at £46m
I roll a three. £35m potential sale for Jones. Look, long-term readers will be aware of my immense admiration for the Scouser; he is, for me, as good as if not better than many of the midfielders you see valued at £70m-£80m. Even with a year left on his deal, £35m would quite clearly be a steal for say Inter.
What else is, concerningly, clear however is that a Toxteth-born local lad seems entirely disillusioned at his boyhood club and, quite weirdly in all honesty, Federico Chiesa confirmed that Jones has questioned him about life in Italy, to which he provided a glowing endorsement. Inter’s sporting director, Piero Ausilio, has even publicly said, on Jones:” we are paying attention to him. We didn’t hide. We understand what the developments will be.” To see him completly emotionless after scoring at the Kop end against Brentford on the final day was a sad state of affairs. It would likely take an enormous swing to convince Curtis into signing a new deal and quite frankly yet another footballer should not be leaving on a free transfer.
For the record, it is not the idea of Curtis doubling his wage, as is the case in this hypothetical game, which is off-putting. He is that calibre of player. But, simply, he didn’t seem to be enjoying life here and I am not convinced that entirely changes with the sacking of Arne Slot.
Okay, so let’s dive through with the potential departures. Again, I suspect that there won’t be too many. Six of the squad’s value is determined by the dice roll - Jeremie Frimpong, Curtis Jones (already covered), Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo - while the rest have fixed prices. Remember: Premier League squads can have 25 senior players, but no more than 17 can be non‑homegrown. That means you need at least 8 homegrown players in the squad. A “homegrown” player = registered with an FA/FAW club for 3 seasons before turning 21. U21 players don’t need to be registered and don’t count toward the 25.
Jeremie Frimpong. The dice lands on a five, I’m torn. £42m - £13m profit on the initial £29m fee - would be terrific business on a player who I am admittedly not terribly high on based on the evidence of his first season. Injury troubles haven’t helped but the fact is that an attacking midfielder was widely preferred as the safer pair of hands on the right hand side of defence, and Frimpong ultimately offered zero attacking threat in his appearances as a right-winger. I’ve received several comments in the past months highlighting that I have perhaps been a tad harsh on the Dutch international and maybe that is the case. It’s entirely plausible that he was one of many victims of a failing environment. Undoubtedly, Jeremie is more suited to the intense Iraola style, but unless there is a switch to a 3-back system I cannot envisage him as anything more than a squad option.
That said, we need some of those. He’s homegrown. There’s versatility there. Assets that the new head coach will value and by all accounts Frimpong is a terrific character. He was not named in the Netherlands’ World Cup squad - big Ronald Koeman evidently shares the sentiment of not particularly understanding what he is - which hands him a full pre-season beginning out in the States next month. Keep. That’s a terrific offer though.
Alexis Mac Allister. 35 million pounds. Outrageously frustrating as his season was - there were points where he looked as though he was towing a caravan - it is obviously the case that LFC cannot shrink an already thin midfield department any further, and that his rancid form is also a direct result of being drastically overplayed in the last two seasons. He features in 37 of the 38 Premier League matches last season because, well, he ought to. Where were the alternatives? A dramatic reduction of his minutes to ease the load combined with greater energy around him, and I wholeheartedly believe that the 23/24 - or first half of 24/25 - Mac Allister can return. It is, I imagine, remarkably uncontroversial to say that under no cirmcumstances can Dominik Szoboszlai leave. An integral cog in Andoni’s system, I’m positive. The contract situation - with Real Madrid sniffing around - remains worrying and perhaps there is a world where the club feel no choice but to cash in the summer of 2027 ahead of a 2028 contract expiry. He’ll probably join his mates at Madrid soon enough. Now is not the time.
Maximum price on Florian Wirtz after rolling the six. £102m. Do not care. Stay.
£32m for a Cody Gakpo sale, depleting the forward line even further, feels anything but worthwhile. A £68m - or even £57m - offer alters the landscape significantly and you’re likely wishing the Dutchman all the best in his future endeavours, though, despite the wide criticism aimed at his season, I am sure many would agree that he fits the bill as a squad option with the invaluable ability to fill in for Isak on occasions, also. Footballers want to play, perhaps that doesn’t appeal to Cody in the slightest but in my world he’s shutting up and accepting it.
Onto ‘the rest’ with their fixed potential fees and ‘wage units’, then. I don’t think it would be unreasonable to say that there are a fair few question marks around Giorgi Mamardashvili’s fit for the long-term no.1 shirt. Is it possible for a goalkeeper to make some really impressive saves but also burn your head out with his decision making at the same time? I don’t think swapping him for the potentially superior, homegrown and younger James Trafford would resemble a terrible idea, though in all honesty Liverpool have more pressing needs this summer than pissing around with second-choice goalkeepers. Even if Alisson is likely off in twelve months time - potentially earlier, if the Juventus rumours are to be believed - that would require Trafford to initially accept yet another extended period on the bench, and as he evidenced across City’s two domestic cup triumphs, he’s outgrown that now.
With Viteslav Jaros returning from his Ajax loan spell, he is able to fill the ‘homegrown keeper who fills a spot’ role, allowing us to cash in for 2 million pounds on Freddie Woodman. The former surely wouldn’t accept that role on the back of a season as no.1 in the Eredivisie and Champions League but, again, it is a game.
No overriding need for any massive change, in this department.
As we can see, several of the defenders are rightfully deemed unsellable in this game. Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet, Geovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez will pretty obviously not be leaving the football club. Joe Gomez is essentially in the same category unless you bring in a homegrown defender. Neither John Stones nor Aaron Wan‑Bissaka would bring anything Liverpool particularly need, and Joe is, crucially, far more versatile than either of them. Luca Stephenson already has one foot out the door - close to landing at Bolton Wanderers for around £1m - so we can agree the sale for one homegrown defender.
At 23 and following a series of decent Championship loan moves, now probably feels like a reasonable time for Owen Beck to. depart. £3m of pure profit to add to the books, though at one stage, particularly after his 2024/25 season at Blackburn Rovers, I anticipated that we would be looking at least double. Luke Chambers ought to be retained then, with a view to potentially surpassing Tsimikas in the pecking order with a fine pre-season.
Teenagers not being needed to be registered means that there is little reason to take the £1m offer for Amara Nallo, however three young central defenders - Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Noah Adekoya - have recently arrived which strikes his long-term future into doubt. Liverpool initially landed the then-16-year-old for a fee of £850,000 from West Ham back in 2023, so I believe it’s fair to say that they’d be craving a far greater profit margin.
Liverpool require defensive additions, probably a couple, though I feel this can be achieved rather simply without breaking the bank. After all, they already possess one of the world’s greatest in Virgil van Dijk and four fantastic young projects in Jacquet, Leoni, Kerkez and Bradley. As per David Lynch, “Conor Bradley may be hoping to return early next season, but Liverpool are planning a cautious approach to his comeback, as such, they are scouring the market in order to avoid a repeat of last season's chaos at right-back.”
Marco Palestra (21, Atalanta) feels like a sensible addition. He is genuinely one of the most impressive young full‑backs in Europe right now. On loan at Cagliari in the Serie A from Atalanta last season, he was already putting up elite defensive volume, leading Serie A in ground duels won indicating immediately how active and aggressive he is in duels. What stands out most is the physical profile. At 6ft1, he brings height and presence you rarely get from an attacking full‑back, and he uses it well: strong through contact, good in the air, and powerful when carrying the ball. He’s comfortable on both feet, a solid crosser from different angles, and he looks like he’s got genuine top‑end sprint speed. In possession he’s basically the prototype modern wing‑back: drives forward, rides tackles, and covers huge distances without dropping intensity.
There are still areas that need tidying. On the ground defensively he can be a bit too eager to engage, almost like he’s constantly holding the R2/RT trigger, and when he’s defending as a traditional wide full‑back rather than a wing‑back, he can be left a little exposed. None of it is unusual for his age, and the raw tools are clearly there. The ceiling is massive. He’s physically ahead of most of his age group, technically clean, and tactically flexible across RB/RWB/RM. For a side like us under Iraola, requiring increased height and physicality in wide areas, he offers a very different option to someone like Frimpong: less pure chaos, more size, range and defensive upside long‑term.
I would be lying if I claimed to be massively across Óscar Mingueza (27, Celta Vigo), though it feels very practical, and indeed low‑risk, on a free transfer with semi‑decent wages. Being able to play right across the backline is the main appeal: he’s played as a right‑back, right centre‑back in a three, left centre‑back, and even as an inverted full‑back at times. That versatility is why he’s been so valuable to Celta. He’s also coming off the best period of his career. Under Rafa Benítez and then Claudio Giráldez, he’s been used as a ball‑playing defender, finishing last season with five assists in La Liga, which is a big number for a defender in a relegation‑threatened side. His passing range is genuinely good, he’s comfortable stepping into midfield, breaking lines, and hitting diagonals from the right half‑space. That’s the part of his game Barcelona always liked when he came through La Masia.
Defensively he’s not spectacular, but he’s reliable: reads the game well, good recovery speed, and rarely gets exposed in 1v1s because his positioning is tidy. He’s also played over 150 senior games across La Liga and Europe, so you’re not taking a punt on someone untested. As a free‑transfer depth option, he makes sense. He gives you cover at RB, RCB, and even LCB in a pinch; he’s tactically flexible; he’s used to playing in possession‑heavy systems; and he doesn’t block long‑term recruitment. For a squad that needs numbers without burning budget, it’s the kind of move that quietly solves three problems at once.
Marcos Senesi (29, Bournemouth) on a free, albeit on greater wages, certainly caught my eye however he has pretty much already signed for Tottenham in the real world. Likewise, I would be all over John Stones if he wasn’t made out of paper clay.
With Jones heading for the exit, there is zero desire to sell any more big hitters in the middle of the park. Mac Allister and Szoboszlai have been covered already, Gravenberch is deemed unsellable in this game given his recent contract signing reported to be upwards of £250,000 p/w. £23m represents a respectable offer for a Harvey Elliott who has barely kicked a football for a year though the romantic in me refuses to rule out one last roll of the dice. Besides, he’s only just turned 23, homegrown and versatile. Stay. Cover for Wirtz/Szoboszlai/RW.
At 33 and, in my view, a complete misfit for the new head coach’s style, I’m inclined to take £6m for Wataru Endō, with a year left on his deal. Only 400 total minutes across all competitions last season; homegrown pair James McConnell (21) and Stefan Bajčetić (21) - also desperate to hand another chance to find fitness, in the final year of his deal - are more than capable of filling that squad role with a chance to see those minutes amplified with promising cameos. Trey Nyoni (18), quite simply, is going nowhere for a measly £13m and should be realistically aiming a first Premier League start in the upcoming season.
It feels as though Federico Chiesa’s time at the club is up. £11m to add into the pot for further additions there. Lewis Koumas (20) - off the back of netting the winning goal for Wales last week - should probably be handed a spot on the pre-season tour and another loan deal (Birmingham and Hull City in the Championship last season) though for the purpose of doing what needs to be done in this fictional game, we’ll take the unattractive £3m bid. Spoiler alert: Ngumoha and Danns are staying put in the out-and-out forwards section. One of the youths had to depart.
Now, I found this exceptionally difficult, and it’s the one I ended up turning over in my head the longest. I’m looking at two - wouldn’t mind three, of course - with one needing to be homegrown thanks to Jones’s departure. There are no real bad ideas here, even the less fanciful names - Mathias Jensen (Brentford), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Florentino Luis (Benfica) and Arthur Avom (Lorient) are so nicely priced that there is little real downside. Numbers, after all. Wasn’t enough of those last season.
Lamine Camara (22, Monaco) beyond tempted me. The Senegalese international is a very fine deep-lying creator who is brilliant technically and despite his small stature and frame very good at winning duels because of his strong core and speed. Very technically gifted.
But it was another fairly young African in Ligue 1 I opted for at first, who isn’t entirely different stylistically: Mamadou Sangare, a 23-year-old Malian at Lens. Sangaré won possession more times (194) than any other player in Ligue 1 in 25/26, also ranking among the top 10 midfielders for the following metrics: 1st for ground duels won (154), 1st for possessions won in the final third (1.0 per 90), 2nd for tackles (82), 2nd for interceptions (40), 2nd for successful dribbles (1.30 per 90), 9th for chances created (35) and 10th for successful long balls (3.20 per 90).
He still has some work to do when it comes to his on-ball stuff, but the other fella I will be bringing in will eradicate that problem. Releases the ball really quickly off his feet, more than 65% of his passes being released within 2s of reception, so I imagine Florian Wirtz would enjoy Sangare behind him. A thing that I really like about his profile is his ability right after recovering possession. He is able to progress using his passing, carries in tight spaces in central areas to evade pressure and, clearly, there is a lot of upside to someone like Sangaré from a physical upside. A powerful and well rounded midfielder, he excels as a ball winner and defensive presence while still offering decent value in possession through his ball carrying and progressive passing. At 23, he looks ready for the next step.
There are plenty of intriguing homegrown options to consider. Hayden Hackney at Middlesbrough remains heavily linked to our city neighbours and seems destined for the top. Nicely valued. Elliot Anderson’s rise over the last two years has been nothing short of unprecedented, reflected in a £100m move to Manchester City that’s now on the verge of being completed. Iraola’s former maestro - Alex Scott - impressed more than virtually every other Premier League midfielder last season and would, obviously, seamlessly fit into the system.
It’s Adam Wharton for me. Out of central midfielders in the Premier League, the Palace man has the second highest xA from open play (4.72) and he also ranks in the top five for progressive passes (8.74 per 90 minutes). It is notable that we haven’t really replaced Trent’s line-breaking ability from deep so I think going for Wharton makes a lot of sense, however, I also think you have to pair him with a ball-winner/high intensity player. That’s a profile Liverpool are currently lacking in midfield. Someone like Mamadou Sangare, Mateus Fernandes or Lamine Camara could be a nice fit.
People have discussed a lot about Wharton's on ball upside but I think people tend to ignore his off-ball positioning and intelligence.For starters, he is among the top 15 best channel defenders among midfielders in the PL, among players like Anderson, Garner, Tonali etc. 60% tackling accuracy inside the pockets puts him among the best in that facet. Really good at recovering balls in these areas as well. The only real downside is his aerial ability.
As we have established, no movement here.
Robert Lewandowski on a free tempts me, to be honest. It is exceptionally un-Liverpool. 37 years of age, reportedly paid approximately £300,000 p/w at his last club and is ultimately a short-term fix for a club who prides themselves on long-term thinking. Every signing is supposed to solve today’s problem and tomorrow’s one, don’t buy players to get them through a month or a crisis; they buy players who fit a multi‑year plan. They generally avoid loan moves at all costs unless there is exceptional circumstances (particularly injuries) such as the situations when Ozan Kabak, Ben Davies and Arthur Melo were brought in. However, a short-term stopgap to support Isak throughout the year, with Ekitike essentially a write-off until the 2027/28 campaign seems pretty logical of an idea. Eli Junior Kroupi will not be arriving, and nor will Julián Álvarez. Once Ekitike returns, you’d be left with three strikers who have no business being benched.
A bonafide legend of the sport, he and his medal haul would command instant respect. With energy and creativity around him, as proven with his 14-goal La Liga campaign in 2025/26, there is still life left in the old dog. He’d certainly add leadership: in his later years he was frequently seen staying late after training to work on shooting and finishing with young forwards like Ansu Fati to help them regain form and confidence, he constantly communicates with younger players during matches to correct tactical positioning and encourage them when they miss chances. Tempting, but given my intended criteria of semi‑realism, it’s probably not on the cards. Maybe in another life, Robert.
Wingers. Without hesitation, Yan Diomande becomes Liverpool’s second Ivorian of all time after the much-missed Kolo Touré. I concede that £83m is a lot for a teenager with only a season-and-a-half of top level football under his belt. The footage against low blocks is the real deal, constantly manipulating defenders and creating his own angles in tight areas, with great body orientation and a kind of nimbleness that lets him weave through congestion without ever losing momentum, and it’s in those sequences that you suddenly see the price tag, the world‑class potential is obvious. Only Lamine Yamal, in Europe’s top five leagues, completed more take-ons than Diomande who also posted 23 goal contributions.
Being able to play all across the front line with prior Premier League experience, Ferran Torres would be a practical pickup, however in my view he is massively overpriced in this game at £52m considering his current deal is set to expire 2027. 16 goals in La Liga last season. He can go on the inside or outside his man because he is two-footed, there is a brilliant aerial ability there at 6'0" as well as power and a pretty good level of pace. I think Liverpool could do much worse than Torres to be honest.
Signing a 29-year-old Mitoma, yet to make that next necessary leap that many anticipated, is a non-starter for me. His mate at Brighton, Yankuba Minteh, is slightly too far on the raw side for me. Granted, Diomande is raw but the upside is far greater: potential to be one of the best wingers in Europe with genuinely elite volume & 1v1 threat at 19. Signing a 29‑year‑old Mitoma, yet to make that next necessary leap that many anticipated, is a non‑starter for me. His mate at Brighton, Yankuba Minteh, is slightly too far on the raw side for me. Granted, Diomande is raw but the upside is far greater: potential to be one of the best wingers in Europe with genuinely elite volume and 1v1 threat at 19. What separates him from the others is that his rawness isn’t a lack of end product or a lack of understanding, it’s simply the rough edges of a player who’s still growing into his frame and learning how to dominate games consistently. He carries with purpose, he commits defenders, he forces backlines to adjust their spacing, and he does it all with a level of physical confidence you don’t usually see in someone his age. Diomande, to me, feels like one of those windows where you either act early or you watch someone else reap the benefits.
As Shankly infamously put it: “A football team is like a piano. You need eight men to carry it and three who can play the damn thing." I’m not even considering the ‘superstar’ names on the list in an attacking sense. In Wirtz and Isak, the firepower is already in place. Michael Olise, Nico Williams and Bradley Barcola are all fantastic talents, but they aren’t the sort of players Liverpool should be throwing huge money at right now given the squad’s actual priorities. I’d be pretty bloody excited if any of those rocked up at Kirkby next month, however.
Let’s rule some more out. Morgan Rogers is remarkable but most certainly a ten, far from a priority. Barcelona already landed Anthony Gordon. Jarrod Bowen, Zian Flemming, Kevin Schade Francisco Conceicao, Fransisco Trincao, Karim Adeyemi, Crysensio Summerville and Takefusa Kubo do not appear to be at a suitable level for a side with aspirations of challenging for major trophies. PSG’s 18-year-old whizkid Ibrahim Mbaye - far down the pecking order due to their embarrassment of riches - represents a fantastic ‘market opportunity’ at 28m and a modest ‘five-unit’ wage though I have already acquired one teenage winger in Diomande. With Rio Ngumoha and Joshua Abe emerging that certainly feels like overkill. Likewise, Köln 19-year-old Said El Mala boasts his merits as a wide-left candidate - with 13 goals and five assists in last season’s Bundesliga - however for the same reasons he’s out of the picture. Mateus Mane (18, Wolves) was reportedly shown around the AXA Training Centre back in February; we also saw first‑hand at Anfield in the winter just how impressive he already looks. £45m does not resemble solid value. He is, after all, now an asset of a Championship side, and Liverpool currently have too many senior holes to be taking wildly expensive punts, even on a fantastic talent. It’s the kind of deal you make when the rest of the squad is settled and you can afford to stash a high‑ceiling project; right now, they’re nowhere near that stage. The ability isn’t in question, but the timing and the price point make it a luxury move rather than a sensible one.
*El Mala will remain high on LFC’s radar, I’m sure. The data is simply incredible. For example, last season he ranked second out of all U21 players in the top European leagues for npxG (10.49).*
Mohammed Kudus at 75 million pounds, combined with an enormous wage, is beyond obscene. He’s not kicked a ball since the fourth of January and was hardly pulling up trees prior to that (2 goals in 19 league starts for Tottenham). Harry Wilson would not only provide a high-level replacement for Wirtz/Szoboszlai but a feel-good story, however without trying to be reductive he’s slow, unathletic, 29 and likely to demand a substantial wage on a free transfer, one which probably would not reflect his role in the squad. While I was all for the potential arrival of Lyon’s Malick Fofana last summer, his stock is certainly lower after ankle issues plagued his 2025/26. I could honestly be talked into one of world football’s quickest wide-forwards - Bazoumana Touré (19, Hoffenheim) - for a somewhat reasonable £31m given the strength of his data1; BILD have previously indicated that the club scouted him intensely in April. The sensible side of me, however, suggests that, at this stage of his development there are too many elements of his game which require refining. You get that time and breathing space to smoothen out the edges at a Brighton or Brentford, not, as we know, at Liverpool Football Club.
I land, then, at Real Betis’ 24-year-old Moroccan left-winger, proficient also in the ten, Abde Ezzalzouli. A former Barcelona youth product, Ezzalzouli has taken an enormous leap for club and country this season, posting a total of 15 goals and 11 assists. The headline numbers already jump out - 0.78 goal contributions per 90 - but the underlying profile is what really marks him out. He’s an extremely direct, explosive wide player who constantly forces defenders backwards. In La Liga he averages 4.5 progressive runs per 90, a figure only a handful of wingers in Europe can match, and he does it with a blend of acceleration and balance that makes him a nightmare to contain. His low centre of gravity lets him burst away from pressure, and his core strength means he rides contact far better than you’d expect for someone of his size (5ft 10). The dribbling output is genuinely elite. Among wingers with at least 1,500 minutes and four dribbles per 90, he has the best success rate in La Liga at 64.78%. That isn’t empty flair either, he’s sharp in one‑v‑one situations, changes direction quickly, and protects the ball well, often using his body to draw fouls. He’s also not just a touchline merchant. He regularly makes vertical runs in behind, stretching backlines and creating space for others. A lot of his chance creation comes from that movement: he forces defensive rotations, arrives in good areas, and generates opportunities through constant pressure on the last line.
There’s also a surprising aerial element to his game. Despite his size, he times his leap well and has scored five headed goals for Betis over the last two seasons. Off the ball, the work rate is exactly what top sides demand. He has won possession 103 times in La Liga - top five among wingers - and averages 1.1 final‑third recoveries, joint‑best in the league for his position. He presses with intent, tracks runners, and wins 65% of his 4.71 defensive duels per 90, an absurd return for an attacking player. The obvious area for improvement is finishing. He gets into good positions and strikes the ball cleanly, but the end product hasn’t fully caught up yet. Only 36.4% of his 2.5 shots per 90 hit the target this season, and the last two years show a strange xG pattern: 2 goals from 7.8 xG in 24/25, then 7 goals from 7.4 xG in the first half of 25/26. It’s less “bad finisher” and more “high‑volume shot‑taker still growing. If he sees a window from the wing, he’ll take it, but the quality of the chances he finds suggests the finishing will normalise rather than collapse.
The broader statistical picture backs up the eye test. He’s in the 92nd percentile for successful dribbles, 95th for progressive carries, 88th for npxG + xA, and no winger in La Liga wins more duels per 90 (12.43). He’s also the fifth most‑fouled winger in Europe this season, which tells you how often defenders end up reacting rather than controlling the duel. His pace translates off the ball too, a huge share of his receptions come from long passes, which shows how willing he is to run behind and stretch the pitch. Put all of that together and you get a winger performing at a level that isn’t a fluke. At 24, this is exactly when a previously hyped, well‑schooled wide player should make a leap, and Ezzalzouli looks like someone who has finally aligned his physical tools with consistent output. On intensity, speed, one‑v‑one threat and out‑of‑possession work, he fits the wide profile we usually gravitate towards.
Remember, it’s a bit of fun! Feel free to comment with your summer suggestions.
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The greatest dribble completion rate in the Bundesliga last season with 70%. High volume across the board.
What is your final team? Did I missed it
Great peace! Congrats 👏. Wilson on a free, however would feel nice indeed..! On that subject, what about Darwin? Rumours have him as free agent and willing to return.. Wouldn't his power, strength, velocity and explosiveness benefit our dull and slow frontline? He was was not a Slot-type player, but he seemed to be a Klopp-type. I mean, after a slow, mixed 1st season, his 2nd season (Klopp's last) i think was much better, with great synergy with Mo. Looks like Iraola likes this kind of players..