Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp still has a long way to go in the transfer market this summer but there is a section of the squad that has a strength that no one can match.
Liverpool have only played two friendlies and it would be pointless to overdo the analysis, but a clear pattern is already emerging.
It looks like Liverpool could concede a few goals from today’s perspective (although more signings are on the way to fix that) but should be more than confident of scoring plenty too, with question marks on certain defenders and gaps in central midfield but plenty of firepower.
Mohamed Salah is the only ‘certainty’ to start the season’s opener. The remainder of the pre-season will provide a guide to the remainder of Chelsea’s attacking line-up for this game, but with Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo, Jurgen Klopp has a slew of options accumulated over the past three transfer windows thanks to an initial investment of $177m (£138m/€160m) (with surcharges the total will be higher).
It remains to be seen how much football Ben Doak will earn – there are good reasons for him to spend the season on loan – but he is also another option worth considering.
But between the five senior stars, Liverpool have almost limitless potential. Salah wants to continue a season in which he scored 30 goals; Díaz has just returned from a long injury and could look like a new signing (although that’s a cliché, it’s also true); Núñez scored 15 goals in his first season and hopes to succeed the second time around. Jota is electrifying when fit and already looks very chic; and Gakpo has all the skills to become Roberto Firmino 2.0.
It’s fair to say that this is a level of attacking quality – if you have a greater chance of injury overall this year than last – that no one else can match.
Manchester City could come closest to Erling Haaland supported by Julián Álvarez, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and, for now at least, Riyad Mahrez (although the Algerian could move to Saudi Arabia if he were to be substituted), but Pep Guardiola is heavily dependent on the Norwegian for his goalscoring tally. At Liverpool, it should be more spread out thanks to their five-pointed attacking weapon.
Arsenal added Kai Havertz and already had Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli; USMNT star Folarin Balogun has returned from his loan spell and Gabriel Jesus is hoping to kick but he is not at the level a Liverpool striker should be.
He is also similar across the continent. Real Madrid have Vinicius and Rodrygo but have not yet replaced Karim Benzema and ex Stoke Joselu is among the reinforcements.
Barcelona headline Robert Lewandowski, but Ansu Fati, Raphinha and Ferran Torres haven’t scored many goals between them, while PSG could soon lose Kylian Mbappé after already seeing Lionel Messi move to MLS.
Clearly there are things Liverpool still have to sort out this summer, with the midfield in particular lacking bodies in the goalkeeper role, and the defense also need a boost.
But the attacking development is complete for now, as the $177 million spent has created what might be the most exciting options a team can choose from in the world. At least that sets the stage for a potentially exciting season.
