Carragher tears into Liverpool signings with Richard Hughes in firing line | OneFootball

Arne Slot is not the only one picking up serious heat at Anfield, as Jamie Carragher has slammed the transfers of Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes.

Liverpool’s season went from bad to worse on Friday night as they were swept aside by Aston Villa, losing 4-2 at Villa Park as the hosts booked their place in next season’s Champions League. Liverpool were extremely open in defence and midfield and were always at risk of getting caught on the break, something Slot only made worse by bringing on several attackers.

Liverpool have dropped to fifth place, the final Champions League qualification spot. Sixth-placed Bournemouth are four points behind but have a game in hand.

Liverpool could still make the Champions League by finishing sixth if Villa win the Europa League, but they do not want to let it go down to chance.

Slot appeared to lose Anfield during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea last weekend, and the squad does not appear to be playing for him.

Prior to their latest disappointing result, Carragher said on Sky Sports that Liverpool got last summer’s transfer window completely wrong, in apparent criticism at Slot’s colleague, Hughes.

“For me, the problem all season, it goes back to the summer recruitment,” the pundit said. “Every player they brought in was more attacking than the one that left.

“I just looked at the games in pre-season, looked at that first game [vs Bournemouth], and it just felt like end-to-end basketball, and Liverpool weren’t that the season before under Slot, they were a lot more controlled, and it just seems to have been lost this season.

“Whether that’s down to the manager getting his way on the team a little bit more, the signings that have come in, or the problems Liverpool have had injury-wise as you see today.

“But it just feels like Liverpool never, when you look down at the teamsheet, have enough players who are good enough without the ball, and I actually think that’s the case tonight.”

When asked who has the harder job out of Slot and Hughes’ recruitment team, Carragher replied: “Whenever you get asked that, the answer always is a bit of both. That’s always the answer.

“This team, the way they’re set up with and without the ball, we’re not talking about a team that are amazing with the ball and score lots of goals but are open at the back, they’re very poor in possession and very poor out of possession.

“There’s nothing you can really hang your hat on with the manager’s team this season, and that’s where the pressure comes from.

“People from outside of Liverpool are probably looking at Liverpool supporters saying, ‘you won the league last year, what are you talking about saying maybe he should move on?’

“But it’s because there’s never been at any stage this season where you’ve felt like you’re looking like a real team.

Liverpool must return to Klopp-type transfers – Carragher

“Even for a few weeks, or they’re doing one part of the game really good, but out of possession they need to improve.

“Nothing’s been good for Liverpool this season, so I think there’s a lot of work to do on the training pitch through the manager, but also recruitment-wise.

“They spent a lot last season, but it’s about getting the right players, not spending the most money.

“Go back to what Liverpool did best under Jurgen Klopp – it wasn’t about signing superstars, it was about signing the right players for the team.”

Liverpool spent a huge £446million last summer to sign Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giovanni Leoni.

But Isak, Ekitike, Frimpong and Leoni have all picked up injuries at one stage or another. Ekitike is the only one who has been an outright success, though he is set for a long period on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on an Achilles rupture.

Wirtz and Kerkez both look set for bright futures at Anfield, but they have certainly had underwhelming debut campaigns.