‘They have to buy…’ – Reliable reporter hints Liverpool could need at least 5 summer signings | OneFootball

Liverpool ‘have to buy pace’ this summer and could need at least five new signings across the squad during the upcoming transfer window.

That’s according to James Pearce, who was asked about what FSG’s priorities are likely to be for the summer market as the Reds go in search of a significant improvement on this campaign.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

The Merseyside club emphatically let off the handbrake last year by spending almost £450m on new signings, two of whom cost £100m or more, but the 2025 trolley dash hasn’t brought renewed success on the pitch – a situation not helped by injury problems for several of those recruits.

Pearce outlines what Liverpool need to prioritise this summer

In replying to one supporter’s query in a Q&A for The Athletic, Pearce outlined what he thinks Liverpool need to prioritise in the summer transfer window.

The journalist has urged FSG to sign ‘at least two attackers’ given that Mo Salah is leaving, Federico Chiesa is ‘set to follow’ and Hugo Ekitike is just beginning his long road to recovery from rupturing his Achilles. He specified that ‘they have to buy pace’ during the off-season.

Pearce is also keen for LFC to bolster their options in the middle of the park, writing: ‘The midfield needs strengthening and how much needs to be done in that area depends on whether Curtis Jones moves on.’

In terms of the defence, he stated: ‘There are issues to address in both full-back positions. Liverpool must decide whether to buy a left-back to act as Milos Kerkez’s understudy following Andy Robertson’s exit or turn to Kostas Tsimikas after his loan at Roma. I think they also need a right-back to compete with [Conor] Bradley once he’s fit again.’

Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

It’s a lot for Liverpool to pull off in one summer, but it’s needed

Two forwards, two full-backs and a midfielder – it’s a lot for FSG to try and address in one transfer window, especially after such heavy recruitment last summer, but that needs to be the target if Liverpool are to be competitive next season.

The forward line simply has to be addressed given Salah’s exit, Ekitike’s injury, ongoing fitness worries over Alexander Isak, the decline of Cody Gakpo’s form and Chiesa’s continued peripheral status.

A winger like Yan Diomande would provide the Reds with the injection of pace that Pearce has rightly identified as essential for the summer transfer window, and ideally a versatile attacker who can play anywhere across the frontline will also be added.

There’s a growing sense that Jones could soon depart, and Liverpool don’t have a long-term natural defensive midfield option at present. Somebody like Adam Wharton or Mamadou Sangare would address that void.

Further competition for Kerkez would be welcome if Tsimikas exits permanently, and while we have two capable right-backs in Jeremie Frimpong and Bradley, both have missed a sizeable portion of this season with injury problems.

Player sales will be inevitable in order to fund incoming activity this summer, and the mission for FSG is to ensure that they get the balance right and don’t leave Slot with a dearth of options in any part of the squad.