Liverpool have yet to officially lift the 2024/25 Premier League trophy but already sporting director Richard Hughes is looking at ways to improve Arne Slot’s side.
There’s no question that the Merseysiders have put on a season-long clinic, deserving, runaway winners. However, it’s also true that the likes of Arsenal and dethroned Manchester City will be frustrated with their respective top-flight campaigns and will be determined to come back stronger next year.
However, FSG and Anfield’s senior figures will be sure to take comfort in the manner of their triumph: winning the Premier League after bringing only Federico Chiesa into the first team – and he’s yet to even start a league fixture.
The mastery behind Slot’s genius has been in his soft and significant tactical tweaks to Jurgen Klopp’s system, also shaping existing squad players into superstars.
Ryan Gravenberch is the standout star, going from drifting prospect to the “exceptional” midfield player for the Reds, so says The Athletic’s James Pearce, but he’s not the only one.
Cody Gakpo has also been a revelation in his own right.
Cody Gakpo's season in numbers
Gakpo’s goal against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, expertly taken to make it 3-1 and put Liverpool within an inch of sealing the title, was his 17th of the season.
What’s telling is that that goal saw him beat last year’s 16-goal haul, and in over 600 fewer minutes at that.
Klopp utilised Gakpo’s dynamic talents in his own way, throwing him around the park like an erratic darts player across a board. This may well have proved fundamental development for the Netherlands international, but there’s no question he’s gone up a gear in a more structured role for his new coach on the attacking left flank.
Pundits Joe Cole and Peter Crouch agreed earlier in the term that the 25-year-old has “gone up a level,” and it’s exciting to think that Gakpo can ascend higher still.
Gakpo’s success this season owes largely to Slot’s tactical acumen, but there’s more still to come. The likes of Gakpo and Luis Diaz are bound to find more stable results with a high-class goalscorer in the centre.
However, Liverpool could also find another way to elevate Gakpo’s game even further, preparing to bid for one of the most talented young playmakers in the business.
Slot driving exciting Liverpool deal
As per Football Insider, Liverpool are interested in signing RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons this summer, with the Dutch playmaker emerging as one of FSG’s top targets.
Aged 21, Simons is one of the most exciting young talents in the world and would cost the Anfield side £60m, should they wish to advance their interest into something more solid. Manchester United are also sniffing around.
However, with Slot personally driving the deal for yet another Dutchman to join Gakpo, Gravenberch and co, it’s one to keep an eye on for sure.
Imagine Gakpo & Xavi Simons
Should Trent Alexander-Arnold leave Liverpool as expected when his contract expires this summer, Liverpool will lose one of their primary (if not the primary) creative sources.
Simons could prove to be the new playmaking hub, reorienting Liverpool’s creativity from the right channel and into the centre. Given that Simons has already forged something of a “symbiotic partnership” with his international peer, in the mind of journalist Bence Bocsak, it might prove to bear dividends.
The duo played together during their time at PSV Eindhoven, during the 2022/23 season, before Gakpo earned himself a £35m transfer to Anfield after his performances for his nation at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Ranking among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers cross Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 20% for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for ball recoveries made per 90, as per FBref, Simons could certainly add some panache from the middle, bearing the athletic energy to cover for Dominik Szoboszlai too.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
Looking at his statistics in the Bundesliga this season, you get a closer look at why Simons is such hot property, prolific, creative and combative in a way which would work a treat in Slot’s squad.
Matches (starts)
21 (21)
Goals
9
Assists
5
Pass completion
84%
Big chances created
10
Key passes*
2.2
Dribbles*
1.3
Ball recoveries*
5.1
Tackles + interceptions*
1.5
Duels won*
4.4
While Liverpool will need to sign a striker to complete the set, a player such as Simons would go a long way toward cementing a peerless level of attacking fluency at Liverpool, connecting the dots together and allowing Gakpo to continue his rise as one of the Premier League’s finest wingers.
Gakpo already ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe for non-penalty goals scored (0.52) per 90, also ranking outside the top 20% for shots taken, which effectively means he’s making the most out of the chances that fall his way.
With a playmaker like Simons, who has been dubbed a “game-changer” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, one he has already formed a prosperous on-field relationship with, taking a seat as the central creative force in Slot’s Liverpool project, there’s no telling how high Gakpo could reach.
Or Simons, for that matter. Having made his name known over the past several years, it’s easy to forget that the diminutive Dutch player is still so young. Given the direction Liverpool are going and the success Slot has already had with elevating his countrymen to new levels, this could be one to keep an eye on as the market looms large.
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