Arne Slot will take the fall of Liverpool at the end of the season, but this is a deep and dark pit that the Premier League champions have fallen into, and the head coach is not the only one to blame.
Far from it. The slot has had to contend with Mohamed Salah’s surprise drop, with the two Redmen airing their dirty laundry in December, a reflection of Liverpool’s growing problems.
Some wheels have worked on this roller coaster. Injuries have plagued the Anfield team from the get-go, with Hugo Ekitike’s ruptured Achilles, a sore point this week as Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain (again) and got that point back at home. The prolific forward may not play again until 2026, and getting back to pre-injury levels will be a tough journey.
|
Liverpool top scorers (2025/26) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The player |
Applications |
Goals |
|
Hugo Ekitike |
45 |
17 |
|
Dominik Szoboszlai |
47 |
12 |
|
Mohamed Salah |
37 |
11 |
|
Cody Gakpo |
46 |
8 |
|
Florian Wirtz |
44 |
6 |
Various factors have weighed on Liverpool’s woes, but the plain truth is that Slot’s side is unacceptably poor, and now, FSG will need to make changes in the summer transfer market, with Alexis Mac Allister among the many likely to leave.
FSG are now looking to replace Mac Allister at Liverpool
Mac Allister has fallen by the wayside this season. The midfielder’s slump serves as a microcosm of Liverpool’s wider struggles, but there is no doubt that he is in the midst of a major slump of the season.
Salah is, admittedly, about 34 years old, but Mac Allister is clearly in the prime of his career and has come down to athletic and technical levels. This is not the player that Reds fans have come to adore.
|
The decline of Alexis Mac Allister’s Premier League |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Math (* in 90) |
24/25 |
25/26 |
|
The same (begins) |
35 (30) |
31 (26) |
|
Terms + Help |
5 + 5 |
2 + 2 |
|
Contact* |
55.8 |
49.5 |
|
Accurate passes* |
35.5 (87%) |
32.6 (86%) |
|
Great opportunities have been created |
6 |
2 |
|
Key passes* |
1.3 |
0.8 |
|
Item lost* |
9.3 |
8.0 |
|
Success. dribble* |
0.5 (43%) |
0.3 (38%) |
|
Football recovery* |
4.2 |
3.0 |
|
Facing + meeting* |
3.3 |
2.0 |
|
Delete* |
0.8 |
0.9 |
|
Duels won* |
4.9 (48%) |
3.0 (45%) |
Given the potential scale of Liverpool’s recent rebuild, it may be the right time for the 27-year-old to leave. This summer, he will enter the penultimate year of his contract, and FSG could still fetch a healthy sum for his signing.
Selling him would be risky, but according to the Daily Mail, Liverpool are already training Tottenham star Archie Gray, ready to launch a formal bid if the Londoners drop down to the Championship.
Bayern Munich are also interested in the 20-year-old, who came off the back of such woes at the bottom of N17 this season, but Liverpool could do with his grit and natural talent at the moment, and should throw the kitchen sink at a deal this summer.
The figure is yet to be announced, but previous reports put the young England man’s price tag at £70m. For their part, Spurs do not want to sell, they plan to hold on to their shining light even if their relegation fears are realised.
Why Gray would be better than Liverpool’s Mac Allister
Liverpool’s management have a lot on their plate ahead of the summer transfer window, but signing Gray would be the perfect way to combat this slump, and sign a future that can quickly contribute to the rebuild.
Gray is respected by his Tottenham team-mates, playing with a maturity and quality that has eluded the lion’s share of that team. In fact he has been described as a “young Declan Rice” by Duncan Alexander of The Athletic, boasting flexibility and versatility and hinting at a future at the very top of the English and European game.
Naturally as a midfielder, Gray was found all over the park, skilled on the ball and energetic to a degree that most of his teammates could not match. He excelled in both attacking and defensive situations, with a solid round that eluded Mac Allister.
Next year, Liverpool cannot afford a repeat of this difficult campaign. In that, they must improve, however, any difficulties they may face will be dealt with by Gray, when he arrives. He has surpassed his Spurs team-mates, and perhaps even Liverpool’s midfielders (except for the brilliant Dominik Szoboszlai).
The Liverpool midfielder has failed this season, and something has to be done. It is fitting that Mac Allister, one of the most profitable and disappointing players on the team, should be let go.
It is worth noting that there is interest in the signing of the Argentine star. He has proven his worth over the past few years and, at 27, clubs in Spain or Italy may feel he can return to the top flight.
Liverpool need some rebuilding, and while there’s more than one way to do the cat surgery, Mac Allister might be the smartest sale FSG could make, with Salah and Andy Robertson already leaving on free transfers.
Ekitike’s injury means that the attacking plant now needs to stay, and by signing a rising star like Gray, Liverpool can completely end Mac Allister’s departure and return to the top next season.
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