Liverpool legend Graeme Souness predicts where Arne Slot's team will finish
Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has claimed that Liverpool will not do any better this year than they did in Jürgen Klopp’s final season.
Souness, a former Liverpool captain, played over 350 times for the Reds and also took charge of over 150 games as Liverpool manager.
Now, on William Hill’s Three Up Front podcast, Souness has claimed he doesn’t think Liverpool will finish any better than third in the Premier League unless they improve the playing squad.
In Klopp’s last season Liverpool achieved a third-place finish with a total of 82 points but they are yet to making a signing this summer.
What did Souness say?
Souness raised his concerns for this season, saying: “[Klopp] got the maximum out of those players and still finished third … will [Slot] get the same tune out of them?
“If they don’t buy anyone, are they going to finish any better than third? I don’t think so.”
Souness was still optimistic about Slot’s chances this season and said: “He’s walking into a club that has still got lots of life in that squad and with the players coming through it’s a healthy situation.”
Souness knows what it takes to succeed as a manager at Liverpool, having lifter the FA Cup as boss in 1992.
Liverpool’s situation
Souness’ main concern was that Liverpool need to strengthen “in a couple of areas” and this is something that the club are reportedly working hard to achieve.
Liverpool had a deal for Martín Zubimendi fall through earlier in the summer and are supposedly targeting players in multiple positions to strengthen Arne Slot’s squad.
New recruits have been targeted right across the field and Liverpool have managed to generate a fair amount from player sales, most notably from the sales of Fábio Carvalho and Bobby Clark. An exit for Sepp van den Berg also looks likely.
Souness’ concern for Liverpool’s transfer tactics is shared by some fans on social media and Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes has received some criticism for his business so far this summer.
Despite being the only team in the league yet to make a signing, Liverpool started their season well with a 2-0 victory over newly promoted side Ipswich Town, proving that the current squad are able to produce good results.
If Liverpool are able to strengthen in the transfer market in the last two weeks of the window then Souness’ words may become redundant, but either way Arne Slot will want to prove that his Liverpool side are capable of finishing higher than third place and can win silverware.