In a summer where the majority of their rivals were extremely busy, Liverpool did not make many big-name signings.
Of course, players came in and players went out, but not too many of the transfers involved household names. This isn’t new for Liverpool, though, with Jurgen Klopp regularly prioritising maintaining the squad’s harmony over bringing in new players for the sake of it.
However, after losing out on the Premier League title once again to their rivals Manchester City, have they done enough to usurp the champions?
Liverpool Transfer Window – Grading The Reds’ Signings, Sales, and Loans
Marquee Signing of This Vital Liverpool Transfer Window
No prizes for guessing the player mentioned in this section. Unsurprisingly, Liverpool’s marquee signing is none other than Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan set the Reds back an initial £64 million, with add-ons potentially raising that figure to the £85 million mark.
We are delighted to announce the signing of @Darwinn99 from Benfica, subject to the successful granting of a work permit and international clearance 😍#DarwinDay
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 14, 2022
Who Left Liverpool in the Transfer Window?
The departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich for a fee of around £30 million has polarized opinion among fans. On the one hand, the move represents a good business deal as Liverpool were able to avoid letting the winger leave for free at the end of the season. However, on the other, the Reds have lost one of their best players over recent years and are feeling the effects of that at the start of this season. The arrival of Luis Diaz in January, however, probably meant that the smart move for Liverpool was in fact to allow the 30-year-old to leave.
Also departing the club was cult hero Divock Origi. He wasn’t the best and he certainly wasn’t the biggest name, but he will forever be remembered by Liverpool fans for scoring crucial goals at crucial times. From the Premier League to the Champions League, he has consistently scored goals when they needed it most and his absence will be felt by all fans. That being said, it was the right time for Origi to move on, with a transfer away from the club the best outcome for both parties.
Neco Williams, Takumi Minamino, Marko Grujic and Ben Davies were all sold by the club, with promising young centre-back Rhys Williams loaned out to Blackpool to gain experience.
On the whole, Liverpool made some smart decisions when it came to getting players out the door.
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Who Joined Liverpool This Summer?
This is where things start to look a little less positive for Liverpool.
The signing of Nunez represents some good business. He is just 23 years of age, so will maintain a resell value and has plenty of time to improve even further. The striker will provide Jurgen Klopp’s side with a focal point in attack which should give them an extra dimension when playing against a low block and has already shown signs that he is capable of doing so.
The club also signed talented 19-year-old right-back Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen as a replacement for Williams. As is the case with the majority of signings left to discuss, this deal represents good business but doesn’t necessarily take Liverpool any closer to the Premier League title. Ramsay is a good replacement for Williams and makes sense from a financial point of view, but it doesn’t considerably improve the squad.
Happy 20th birthday to Fabio Carvalho:
◉ 49 games
◉ 14 goals
◉ 7 assistsYoung star. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/t6QvF0fOzl
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 30, 2022
The same can be said for the signing of Fabio Carvalho from Fulham. Carvalho is a fantastic player with a tremendous amount of potential, but once again, he doesn’t really improve the squad – though, if he continues his goalscoring form, he could do by the end of the season. This summer, Liverpool lost both Sadio Mane and Divock Origi this summer, and have brought in Darwin Nunez and Carvalho as attacking replacements. Both are very good players in their own right, but these signings, more so Carvalho than Nunez, haven’t taken Liverpool to the next level.
Finally came the deadline day arrival of Arthur Melo. Liverpool were forced into this deal following a midfield injury crisis, and in that sense, this is a good move. Arthur’s role is to come in and keep the team ticking over until the likes of Thiago Alcantara return from injury.
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Were There Any Missed Opportunities for Liverpool?
It’s very rare that a club like Liverpool fail a pursuit of a player that they want. The pull of the club is far too powerful for most players to ignore. For that reason, there are no big names that rejected a move to the Reds this summer.
However, one player that they did show interest in but did not pursue was Matheus Nunes. Given the midfield injury crisis that the club have suffered this season, and the general ageing midfield that they possess, this move would have been a good one in hindsight.
The 24-year-old Portuguese midfielder has started the season well for Wolverhampton Wanderers and would have been a good fit for Klopp’s midfield.
To call it a missed opportunity is harsh considering it was Liverpool that chose not to pursue the player, but he would have been a good signing.
Liverpool’s Transfer Window Graded
Given that Liverpool doesn’t seem to have got any stronger and if anything, are further away from Manchester City than they were last season, Liverpool’s transfer window gets a C.
