Five players for Liverpool to build their team around during crucial summer rebuild | OneFootball

With a likely Champions League exit on the horizon, focus for Liverpool will turn to what comes next after a disastrous season.

A potential finish outside of the Champions League spots and no trophies represents an awful season for Arne Slot’s reigning Premier League champions and this campaign has highlighted just how thin this Liverpool squad looks.

Long-time club servants are well into their 30s and this summer, whether it is Slot or another manager, will be focused on rejuvenating the team and ensuring next year they are a lot more competitive.

Here are the five players Liverpool should build around for their future.

Dominik Szoboszlai

It is an obvious name to begin but often this season, Dominik Szoboszlai has been the only Liverpool player to turn up.

His evolution into a leader has come during a campaign where he has been asked to play all over the pitch and still he has risen to the occasion. At 25, he is coming into the peak of his career and looks set to be a presence in the Liverpool midfield for years to come.

Liverpool would do well to build a midfield around him while also recruiting elsewhere to ensure he no longer has to fill in at right back and other areas.

Hugo Ekitike

The £125 million signing of Alexander Isak threatened to disrupt Hugo Ekitike’s presence in the Liverpool starting XI but with the Swede struggling with injury, Ekitike has been given a chance to show what he can do.

His best portion of the season came at the start of the season and while his goals have dried up, that is probably more reflective of the team rather than just an individual performance.

Isak is returning to fitness but Ekitike should not be cast off to the bench and Arne Slot, or whoever is manager come next season, should look at how France use both Ekitike and Kylian Mbappe as a blueprint for what to do next season.

Giorgi Mamardashvili

As many predicted, PSG defeated Liverpool but the fact it was only two was largely down to the goalkeeper and it was a performance that suggested he is ready to assume the role of no 1.

The increasing time spent in the rehab room by the 33-year-old Alisson should be a sign that Liverpool now give Mamardashvili an extended run in the team and give himself a chance to prove that he is capable of anchoring this side for years to come.

Florian Wirtz

That hefty price tag will follow Florian Wirtz for the rest of his Liverpool career but writing him off after one season would seem hasty for a player many see in Germany as one of the best of his generation.

A change of manager or system may well unlock Wirtz with the 22-year-old flourishing as a left-sided No 10 while at Leverkusen. The potential hiring of Xabi Alonso will be beneficial to a lot of Liverpool players but no more so than Wirtz after the Spaniard developed him into one of the best players in the world.

He is young and a summer in the gym to bulk up for the physicality of the Premier League may allow him to flourish for next season and beyond.

What’s holding Florian Wirtz back at Liverpool? Germany just gave the answer

Rio Ngumoha

The departure of Mohamed Salah leaves a vacuum on that right flank and while Liverpool may be tempted to break the bank for a big name replacement, they would do well to put their faith in one of their own.

Rio Ngumoha has played 13 league games this season but only for a combined 219 minutes and has yet to be given an extended run in the team.

Despite that, he has shown glimpses of being willing to run at defences – an increasingly rare trait in the Premier League – and can create goals and score them.

At 17, he is too young to be the sole right winger at the club but Liverpool will need to be careful that any signing they do make in the summer is not going to stunt the development of the exciting Englishman.