Andoni Iraola does not have the same luxury Arne Slot enjoyed when he took over Liverpool two years ago, and the £34.5m deal for Victor Munoz proves the scale of the rebuild required.
Slot's smooth start contrasts with Iraola's urgent rebuild
When Arne Slot began life at Liverpool in 2024, it was a gentle introduction into the biggest job of his career. The Dutchman's contract officially began on June 1, and he immediately took a holiday with his family, spending time abroad with his wife Mirjam and their children, Isa and Joep. Private advice suggested that he was about to begin one of the most demanding jobs in world football, but having inherited an elite squad—one good enough to be champions less than a year later—some downtime was deemed beneficial before the real work began. Slot moved to Merseyside alone while his family remained in the Netherlands, enjoying a June holiday in Ibiza before pre-season began at the AXA Training Centre in July.
Iraola arrives to a squad needing significant surgery
Two years on, the same does not apply to Andoni Iraola, who arrived earlier this month less than a week after his predecessor was relieved of his duties on May 30. Iraola has a squad in need of significant surgery, and it was no surprise to hear that one of his first ports of call after his confirmation on June 4 was to sit down with his recruitment department to discuss targets. Two weeks later, a £34.5m deal had been agreed for Osasuna's Victor Munoz, and Liverpool have also made clear to RB Leipzig they would be willing to bid up to £86m for Yan Diomande.
Liverpool's previous opportunistic approach
After failing to land Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, Slot had to wait until after the season had started to sign his first player in Federico Chiesa, whose £12m roll-of-the-dice has not paid off, two years on. Liverpool took an opportunistic approach to their targets in 2024, according to sporting director Richard Hughes, believing the squad in place did not need massive improvements. Interest in Leny Yoro came and went before he signed with Manchester United, and Zubimendi opted to stay with his boyhood club before a cut-price, low-risk gamble was taken on Chiesa.
Key departures force Liverpool into a huge summer
Iraola finds himself with no such luxury this time around, with the Reds squad having lost two legendary figures in Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, as well as France international centre-back Ibrahima Konate, who has just turned 27. Alan Shearer, the Premier League's all-time top scorer, commented: "It is a big transfer window for Liverpool on the back of a really, really frustrating season after winning the league. Their recruitment last summer hasn't worked yet. Now, Kerkez may get better, Frimpong may get better, Wirtz may get better and Isak may get better and I think, because of Mo Salah leaving, mentally it will free up those guys so I do expect them to get better. But with Robertson leaving and Konate, with Salah, they need another huge summer. And they can't have a summer where they're then waiting 12 or 18 months for players to settle in. I think for Liverpool, the signings need to hit the ground running and do well from the off, otherwise you know what'll happen."
Konate's departure and defensive reinforcements
Konate, like many of his colleagues last season, endured a difficult term, and it was eye-opening to hear him speak in the close-season about his struggles with depression and the mental toll the death of Diogo Jota had on him. Despite an indifferent term for the France defender, the fact that Real Madrid promptly snapped up Konate should leave Liverpool in no doubt as to the true measure of the centre-back who left as a free agent. Iraola will at least find that £60m Jeremy Jacquet can act as cavalry when he joins from Rennes officially on July 1. The addition of Munoz, who will join his new team-mates at the back end of the summer, is also a solid start to what should be a busy window at Anfield.
Diomande pursuit and forward line needs
Talks over Diomande continue after the Reds made it known a package of £86m could be offered to Leipzig if they are willing to do business once more. The Bundesliga club, however, are looking for close to £112m and are keen to tie the Ivory Coast winger down to a new deal. Shearer added: "Liverpool need a host of players in their forward line because with Salah gone, you are left thinking who have they got. They've got Isak, they've got Wirtz, they've got Ekitike, but he's going to be out and you've got Gakpo and Ngumoha. There's no doubt they'll need another striker in there, and a forward that's ready to go, and ready to come in and score 15 goals. They are linked with Yan Diomande and he's a really talented player. He would add a lot to Liverpool, but what the fee would be, I'm not quite sure. It would obviously be a lot of money, and I guess if they do buy him, then they've watched him several times, so I think it would be a good buy for them."
Iraola, like Slot two years ago, may find that June is the quiet month on the Liverpool calendar. But there is still work to do at the AXA Training Centre, both on the pitches and in the recruitment department.
