Liverpool have had a slow start to the summer transfer window and will need to pick up proceedings in the coming weeks to ensure new manager Andoni Iraola is equipped to take his team into the 2026/27 campaign.

The Reds endured a miserable 2025/26 season, finishing fifth on 60 points, a year after cruising to the Premier League title. Clearly, something of a rebuild is needed at Anfield, with significant investment in the squad required.

Promising defender Jeremy Jacquet has arrived from Rennes in a £60million deal, while Osasuna winger Victor Munoz has joined for a fee in the region of £35million.

These acquisitions represent smart moves, but the pressing need to replace the legendary Mohamed Salah still hasn’t been addressed. With that said, GIVEMESPORT have put together a dream Liverpool XI for next season, which includes five new signings.

Goalkeeper

Alisson

Caean Couto / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters

Liverpool will presumably move on from Alisson Becker in the near future, although that isn’t likely to happen this summer. The Brazilian will turn 34 in October and has 12 months left on his deal on Merseyside, making next year a natural parting point for the legendary shot-stopper.

The Reds have lost the likes of Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson in recent windows, so will look to keep at least a few core members of their last iteration in Iraola’s squad for experience reasons. Alisson is a part of this.

Giorgi Mamardashvili is waiting in the wings to succeed the former Roma man, and will likely do so from the start of the 2027/28 season.

Defence

Read, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez

Liverpool could have something of a new-look defence next season. Ibrahima Konate has departed for Real Madrid, Robertson has signed for Tottenham, while a new right-back is still being targeted.

Alexander-Arnold left a gaping hole on the right-hand side of Liverpool’s defence when he cut ties last summer to join Real Madrid. This void was not adequately filled by Jeremie Frimpong, who has struggled with the physicality and intensity of the Premier League. Conor Bradley is still fighting his way back from a serious injury, and thus, it’s clear that this is an area of Iraola’s squad that needs addressing.

Few concrete links to right-backs have emerged so far this summer, although one name has been mentioned sporadically over the last several months. Feyenoord’s Givairo Read has been touted as a replacement for Alexander-Arnold, and a reasonably cheap deal could be struck with the Eredivisie giants.

It’s not clear how much this speculation was driven by Arne Slot’s link with Feyenoord, but given how impressively the 20-year-old has performed in the last two seasons, it wouldn’t be surprising if Liverpool retained their interest even without their former head coach at the helm.

At the heart of the defence, a new partnership could be set to flourish. Konate and Virgil van Dijk’s relationship has been broken up, but Jacquet could simply replace the Bernabeu-bound Frenchman. While he’s only 20, Liverpool spent £60million on Jacquet, which suggests they see him making an imminent impact, even if they are still on the hunt for another central defender.

At left-back, Milos Kerkez may have struggled in his debut season at Anfield, but he’ll be reunited with the manager who developed him at Bournemouth. This is certainly a good enough reason to give the Hungarian another go, particularly given how many other areas need addressing.

Midfield

Wharton, Szoboszlai, Wirtz

via Reuters

Various reports suggest midfield is an area of concern for Iraola. While the Merseysiders possess several adept number eights, they arguably still lack an out-and-out number six.

Liverpool’s interest in Adam Wharton is well documented, and now could be the time to make their move on this front. Crystal Palace are demanding around £100million for Wharton, and while this prospective fee could deter Iraola and his recruitment team, there could be creative ways around this potential stumbling block.

The Reds could reportedly offer Harvey Elliott plus cash in exchange for Wharton — an agreement which could appeal to the South London club. Wharton would be the perfect man to complement Dominik Szoboszlai, who will continue in a prominent role at Anfield after excelling last term, in Liverpool’s double pivot.

In front of them, £116.5million man Florian Wirtz will get another opportunity to prove himself on Merseyside. An underwhelming debut campaign should not mean Liverpool’s decision-makers give up on him just yet, even if he does need to do a lot more to justify his price tag next season.

Attack

Barcola, Isak, Munoz

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Liverpool’s attack has undergone a major rebuild in recent years, and this rebuild should be completed this summer. The likes of Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz are a thing of the past, while Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa could also be moved on.

Alexander Isak will get a fresh chance to lead the Reds’ attack after a frustrating first season in the north-west. He won’t have a buoyant Hugo Ekitike to compete with for some time as the Frenchman nurses his way back from a major injury, while he’ll come into the campaign in a better state physically than he did last term.

As for the flanks, both sides could look very different next term. Munoz may prove to be a squad depth signing, although for the time being, it seems as though he may be seen as a starter. The Spaniard scored seven goals and provided five assists in a poor Osasuna side last season, and is ready to thrive in a better team.

Either one of Munoz or Salah’s replacement will start on the right, with the other on the left. After Yan Diomande declared his desire to join Paris Saint-Germain, Bradley Barcola has become the dream Salah successor. The French wide forward is ready to leave Paris to play a more prominent role elsewhere, and Liverpool may suit him.

Iraola can use the rapid World Cup star on either wing, and can maximise his threat by instructing the likes of Wirtz and Szoboszlai to feed quick balls to him in behind. A deal could be done at around £100million with PSG.

Granit Xhaka had some harsh words after Switzerland’s World Cup dream ended in a 3-1 extra-time defeat to Argentina, with Breel Embolo’s controversial dismissal for simulation the moment that changed everything.

Embolo was sent off in the 71st minute after referee Joao Pinheiro was sent to the pitch-side monitor to review a challenge involving Leandro Paredes. Paredes had initially been booked for the foul, but the review under the “mistaken identity” protocol saw that yellow rescinded and a second one shown to the Swiss forward instead, ruled to have dived.

Switzerland played the remainder of normal time and all of extra-time with 10 men.

Xhaka: “You Kill the Game”

Jay Biggerstaff (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

The Swiss captain’s frustration was obvious when he faced the media after the final whistle. “The rules are the rules,” Xhaka said, “but it’s a decision where you kill the game in my opinion.” It was a measured but pointed response from the Sunderland midfielder, who watched his side’s numerical disadvantage prove decisive over the remaining hour of football.

Switzerland had just drawn level through Nottingham Forest’s Dan Ndoye moments before Embolo’s red card, and looked the more dangerous side in the immediate aftermath, only for the sending off to swing momentum firmly back in Argentina’s favour.

Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez both scored in extra-time to complete the turnaround, with Xhaka’s post-match comments reflecting a wider sense in the Swiss camp that the result had been shaped by the officials as much as by events on the pitch.

See what Xhaka had to say below:

Christina Unkel Delivers Interesting Verdict

Denny Medley (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

The debate didn’t end with Xhaka. Former FIFA referee Christina Unkel drew a direct line between Embolo’s dismissal and a near-identical incident involving Miguel Almiron in the United States’ opening group game with Paraguay, arguing FIFA is using the mistaken identity framework to disguise a different kind of intervention entirely.

“Embolo decision is consistent with Almiron decision,” she wrote. “FIFA is treating these situations as mistaken identity but it’s really ‘Simulation’ VAR can recommend. The controversial part is VAR is not just changing the player but is changing the offence. We are in re-refereeing zone.”

The comparison has gathered traction online, with both incidents following the same pattern: an initial card for a foul, a VAR review, and a reversal that punishes the player deemed to have gone down rather than the one who made contact.

Lionel Messi is rarely seen losing his cool on a football pitch, but the veteran forward found himself in a heated exchange with referee Joao Pinheiro during Argentina’s 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland in the World Cup quarter-final.

The 39-year-old was visibly animated as he confronted the Portuguese official, and cameras around the world caught the tense back-and-forth in what was otherwise a quieter night for the Argentina captain in front of goal.

What was said Between Lionel Messi and the Referee

REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

It is unclear as to what exactly sparked the confrontation, but Argentine outlet Ole provided a translation of Messi’s comments to Pinheiro:

The flashpoint appears to stem from Pinheiro instructing Messi to adjust his position in the defensive wall ahead of a Swiss free kick, with the forward seemingly taking issue with how the referee said what he said, rather than the words used.

Messi didn’t dwell on the moment for long, quickly returning his focus to driving Argentina’s attack for the remainder of the contest.

See the full incident here:

Messi’s Quieter Night Ahead of Huge Semi-Final vs England

Reuters/Maria Lysaker

Despite the drama, Messi still finished as a key creative outlet across the full 120 minutes. He was handed a 7.79 rating by Opta, registering one assist but no goals, the first game of the tournament in which he hasn’t found the net.

His passing was typically tidy too, completing 86% of his 65 attempted passes, while he also contributed defensively, winning back possession in advanced areas and continuing to trouble the Swiss backline with his movement.

It wasn’t a vintage individual display by Messi’s own lofty standards, but his influence remained central to Argentina grinding out a hard-fought win that sets up a mouthwatering semi-final meeting with England.