Departures, Injuries and the Future of Liverpool

As Luis Díaz continues to play like one of the best players in the World with Bayern, a new dawn is on the horizon for Liverpool. With both Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk announcing their departures, and Díaz already gone to Germany, whether the club is ready or not, next season will be a new era.

A new core exists in this squad, but, coupled with a few key injuries this season, next year will be a transition year.

Over ten years ago, when Jurgen Klopp took over, Liverpool stood at a similar crossroads. The end of the Luis Suarez and Gerrard teams necessitated a total rebuild.

Arne Slot skipped over this rebuild last season by winning a title in his first year on the job. Essentially, squeezing the last drops of juice from the team that Klopp built, he set unfair expectations for himself. The struggles and disappointments experienced this season are essentially what they should have gone through last year.

Now with key departures, the last vestiges of the Klopp era finally leave the team. Along with injuries suffered by key players this year, next season’s squad promises to be completely different. Success may eventually return to Anfield, but that will come after Slot attempted to make his own version.

For the past two seasons, Slot attempted to establish his own system within the trappings built by Klopp.

Next season, however, the chance finally appears for the Dutchman to make Liverpool in his image.

Liverpool experienced two devastating injuries to intriguing players who derailed their respective seasons. One player never got the chance to make an impact, while the other stood ready to take on a larger role for club and country.

Giovanni Leoni’s arrival at Anfield came as a surprise to many in the midst of Liverpool’s lavish spending spree last year. The Italian spent the previous few seasons breaking through the various levels of Italian football. While he began appearing as a prospect to watch, no one really expected him to make this high profile of a move.

Before he even touched the pitch for the Reds in the Prem, an ACL injury would keep him out for the year. Without any chance to acclimate to his new life or learn from the litany of veterans on the roster, Leoni would watch from the sideline.

Preparing for a post-Van Dijk team means that Leoni may be forced to play a larger role than he expected next season. For a player who had yet to truly establish himself in the Serie A, it’s quite the jump for the Italian. However, the veterans who promised to help him this season may offer him the breathing room to grow next year.

Originally brought in as a second option to Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike blossomed as a real Prem striker. In fact, he performed so well that many expected him to be France’s starting number nine. His injury, coming at this time, just as he was establishing himself at both the club and country level, is devastating for everyone.

Yes, Isak’s ceiling still seems higher than Etitike’s, but the Frenchman was already established within Slot’s system. His injury opens up the path for Isak to grab the mantle a year after forcing a move to Anfield. While Etitike has already proved his worth, Isak now has that chance.

Leoni’s eventual return early next season allows the club to have an internal replacement for van Dijk.

Ekitike’s absence for the next year, on the other hand, forces Slot to fully trust Isak heading into these last few games and next season.

Another wrinkle weaving itself into the fabric of Liverpool’s summer is the numerous departures. While last summer seemed like the one that would finally see the exodus, Salah and van Dijk’s announcement finally means the Klopp era is over.

Unlike the previous time that Liverpool needed to usher in a new core, Slot possesses a talented team. When Klopp took over in the aftermath of the Rodgers sacking, that side really contained no players that would form the backbone of any title side. Yes, a few players promised to play roles, but none felt likely to take any bigger step.

Slot, on the other hand, was handed a much better set of cards by the Liverpool brass. Rather than taking over a side that needs a complete makeover, Slot only needs to find the crown jewels for his team. While the departures of Salah and van Dijk are a blow, this team possesses pieces that can help identify the next stars.

Headlined by the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, these veteran players give Slot an immensely high floor. Baking in improvements from Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, in particular, all that they really need is their next superstar.

Perhaps Wirtz returns to the path that many envisioned for him while he was still at Leverkusen and becomes that star. Work remains to flesh out that vision, but the club clearly put immense trust in the German. Using next season to audition him as the player who bridges the gap between Salah and whoever is at the center of the next Liverpool title team would be most beneficial.

With most of this season’s struggles somewhat expected, a disconnect between some fans and the manager emerged. A necessary reset was pushed back a season due to an unexpected title, and now that the bill is due, some can’t accept it. Giving Slot time and resources to build his vision for a squad is the least that the organization can do.

Despite the departures of such key players, the club slowly began preparing for this moment when Klopp made his decision to leave clear.

Now with the semblance of a new core in place, Slot will build a new Liverpool.

Next August at Anfield will see Liverpool’s next era finally emerge. For the first time in over a decade, the club will reckon with its own mortality as it comes to terms with a new project.

Balancing departures, injuries, and returns, no other manager may quite feel the pressure like Slot.