Liverpool's Summer of Change: A Squad Reshaped Yet Incomplete
Liverpool’s summer of change always felt incomplete. Big names came in, a new era was promised, but Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid underlined a harsh truth: some of the old problems are still very much alive.
A squad reshaped, but not rebuilt
Liverpool did plenty of business over the last window. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz arrived as headline signings, Ronald Araujo and Bradley Barcola followed, and more deals were tipped to follow. They never did. In the end, only four new faces actually walked through the door.
For a club coming off one of their worst seasons in recent memory under Arne Slot, that’s not a full reset. It’s a patch-up job.
The lack of direction last season was glaring. Liverpool spent over £450 million, yet somehow looked disjointed, short of hunger, and ultimately finished fifth in the Premier League. Slot paid with his job, but the squad he left behind still carries the scars of that misfire.
One of the clearest examples is at left-back.
Kerkez was meant to be the future – he isn’t the present
Milos Kerkez was signed last summer as the long-term heir to Andy Robertson. Slot was convinced. The Hungarian was his first-choice option for the role, the man to take over from a club stalwart.
Reality bit quickly.
Robertson, even deep into his Anfield career, still outperformed him. The Scot kept his place more often than expected because he remained the more reliable option. Some supporters even wondered if a new deal for Robertson might be on the cards, such was his importance.
That never materialised. Instead, Kostas Tsimikas returned to serve as Kerkez’s understudy.
And then came Atletico.
On Wednesday night, Kerkez delivered the kind of performance that sets alarm bells ringing. He looked raw, rash, and far from ready to anchor the left side of a back four at this level. His positioning wavered, his decision-making under pressure faltered, and his lapse allowed Marcos Llorente to escape and punish Liverpool.
As a wing-back, Kerkez offers plenty. He’s energetic, aggressive going forward, and comfortable operating high up the pitch. In a back four, though, every mistake is magnified. Every lapse in concentration becomes a chance conceded. Against Atletico, it cost Liverpool.
January problem, not a 2027 one
There has already been chatter about Liverpool’s long-term planning. Ben Jacobs has suggested the club could look to replace Alexis Mac Allister in 2027, a sign of how far ahead the recruitment team are thinking.
But Liverpool don’t have the luxury of treating left-back as a distant concern. Not after nights like this.
There are still glaring gaps in this starting XI. If Liverpool sit out the January window, they risk watching their rivals accelerate away. The Atletico game only sharpened that reality: left-back is not a “nice to fix” position. It’s urgent.
Throughout the summer, the club were linked with alternative left-backs. Those rumours faded once Kerkez was installed as the starter. If his form continues along the same erratic line, those links will return – this time with a lot more noise from the stands.
By the time January arrives, patience could be thin. Supporters will not tolerate repeated defensive lapses from a position that used to be one of the most secure on the pitch.
Liverpool need someone more seasoned on that flank. Someone who can lock down the defensive side of the role first and let the attacking play flow from there. Someone who doesn’t need a safety net.
Kerkez may still grow into that player. At 22, time is on his side. Liverpool’s season, though, might not be.
