It was never going to be easy replacing a Liverpool legend like Jurgen Klopp, but it seemed as though the Reds had found the perfect successor in the form of Arne Slot. A second Premier League title appeared to confirm that he was picking up from where the German tactician left off.

But if his first year at Anfield was a dream, his second year is quickly becoming a nightmare. The Merseysiders have hit a huge rough patch, losing six of their last seven matches, with question marks over their head coach starting to creep in after their most recent loss to Crystal Palace.

That poor form is magnified even more considering that the club significantly backed their manager in the summer, with many of their new recruits struggling to make an impact. So, in the midst of that, GiveMeSport thought we’d compare all of Slot’s signings for Liverpool and rank them from worst to best, based on multiple ranking factors.

Ranking factors:

• Player performance – how they’ve performed for Liverpool so far
• Total paid – has the deal represented good value for money?
• Reputation in football – is the player highly-rated in world football?

9

Freddie Woodman

Transfer fee – Free

This might be a little harsh on Freddie Woodman, considering that he was never meant to make much of an impact. Signed from Preston as a free agent, the 28-year-old is primarily at Anfield to make up the numbers as a third choice goalkeeper, which means he was always destined for last place.

In fairness to the Englishman, he has at least made a competitive appearance for the Reds. Unfortunately for him, it came in the 3-0 loss against Crystal Palace — not an ideal way to make your debut. He might well earn a couple more outings on an irregular basis during his year-long contract, but you wouldn’t bet on the former Newcastle man getting many minutes.

8

Milos Kerkez

Transfer fee – £40m

Milos Kerkez to Liverpool felt like it was destined to happen all summer long. The Hungarian international had become one of the most exciting full-backs in the league during his two years at Bournemouth, earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year for 2024/25.

Which begs the question — where on earth has that player gone? Since completing a £40m move to Anfield, Kerkez has been a shadow of his former self, looking defensively lax and scared to go forward. Things have got so bad that Gary Neville has even urged Slot to drop the left-back, with the 21-year-old needing to buck up his ideas.

7

Jeremie Frimpong

Transfer fee – £29.5m

Signed for a relatively small sum of £29.5m, Jeremie Frimpong seemed like an effective replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Dutchman offered a similar threat going forward while at Bayer Leverkusen and was relied upon by Xabi Alonso.

Although he’s featured nine times for Liverpool since joining, that does come with a few caveats. He was sidelined early on with a hamstring injury and his minutes have been restricted since coming back, with Frimpong not completing a full 90 in the Premier League or Champions League so far. He’s also been benched by both Conor Bradley and, bizarrely, Dominik Szoboszlai, and will now miss six weeks after picking up another injury. Hardly the impact Liverpool fans would have expected from him.

6

Florian Wirtz

Transfer fee – £116m

When confirmation came through that Liverpool had beaten the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City to the £116m signing of Florian Wirtz, supporters likely wore grins from ear to ear. They had just brought a marquee player in, someone who had racked up 44 Bundesliga goal contributions over the last two seasons.

But in performances so far, the German international hasn’t been able to replicate that same form. Wirtz has just three assists to his name so far, with games often passing him by, and he is widely considered to have been a huge disappointment. Having built a reputation as a truly elite playmaker in world football, there is every chance he could prove to be the coup which fans thought he would be. But that’s the only reason why he places above Frimpong and Kerkez so far.

5

Alexander Isak

Transfer fee – £125m

A lot of time was spent umming and ahing about what to do with Alexander Isak. Here you have a player who scored 23 Premier League goals for Newcastle, cementing his status as one of the best strikers in the world. Similarly to Wirtz, fans were over the moon when the record-breaking £125m deal was confirmed.

But, as with his new German teammate, supporters have not seen enough from their new striker so far. Everyone was convinced that he would shine after getting back to full fitness, but just one goal and one assist in all competitions so far represents a measly return on investment. Now sidelined with a groin injury, we will have to wait even longer until we see the best of the elite finisher again.

4

Geovanni Leoni

Transfer fee – £26m

For 81 minutes, it seemed as though Liverpool had signed the centre-back they were crying out for. Giovanni Leoni looked exceptional against Southampton, earning rave reviews for his performance in the Carabao Cup fixture. But any excitement fans had to see him play a Premier League game was cruelly ripped away from them when he went off injured.

News then confirmed that he had ruptured his ACL and was set to miss multiple months of action. Nevertheless, the former Parma defender showed plenty of promise, enough to suggest that he could make the difference when he returns to full fitness.

3

Federico Chiesa

Transfer fee – £12.5m

This season has done wonders for Federico Chiesa when it comes to his ranking in this list. Slot’s only incoming last term only featured six times in the Premier League in 2024/25, a result of fitness issues and competition for places. It seemed as though the £12.5m transfer was set to go down as a miss.

But in 2025/26, Liverpool fans have been treated to performances by Chiesa that are closer to the ones which made him stand out at Euro 2020. He’s already played in more Premier League games than he managed last year, scoring twice and assisting once. The 28-year-old now needs to show consistency, but having such a dangerous prospect in the squad certainly isn’t a bad thing.

2

Giorgi Mamardashvilli

Transfer fee – £29m

Finding a successor to Alisson, whose performances have made him a Premier League goalkeeping great, was always going to be a challenge. But Giorgi Mamardashvilli seems to be a more than capable replacement.

The Georgian has already been thrust into the team, thanks to Liverpool’s number one picking up an injury. And while his record so far makes for dismal reading, the team as a whole haven’t helped his cause, with Mamardashvilli making some good stops and looking assured between the sticks. The fact that they only paid Valencia £29m for the shot-stopper also represents decent value for money.

1

Hugo Ekitike

Transfer fee – £79m

There was only ever going to be one player at number one. Hugo Ekitike had some of Europe’s top clubs chasing him after scoring 22 goals in all competitions in 2024/25 for Frankfurt, and it was Liverpool who ultimately won the race, signing him for £69m – with a further £10m in add-ons.

The Frenchman didn’t waste time in demonstrating what he could bring to Slot’s side, showing good link-up play and, more importantly, lethal finishing. His six goals in 13 games indicate that he has the potential to be a star, and it says a lot that his manager will be relying on him — not Isak — to turn the team’s fortunes around right now.