Rebuilding Liverpool - Part 1
(long read)
Everyone knew Liverpool faced a rebuild.
Except… everyone expected it to be last season. Jurgen Klopp had left, Arne Slot had come in. It was clearly time to rebuild. Instead, Slot and the squad won the Premier League title.
The core of the Liverpool squad shone. Virgil van Dijk showed that he was aging but still at his best, earning a new contract. Mo Salah did likewise, having a sensational season and earning a blockbuster new deal. Ryan Gravenberch emerged as a holding midfielder. Cody Gakpo had his best season.
Then it appeared that Liverpool strengthened, bringing in two new full backs and a bright young central defender. In attack it looked mouth watering. Hot prospect Hugo Ekitike. High class and high quality attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz. Then came consistent, proven, Premier League scorer Alexander Isak.
Genuine tragedy struck with the death of Diogo Jota and his brother in the summer of 2025. The impact on the his team mates and the club can not be comprehended. From a playing perspective Liverpool lost a versatile attacker who could operate on the right, the left and through the centre. Jota was a vital part of the balance of the squad.
Diogo Jota’s death has to be acknowledged when discussing the Liverpool season and the squad. There is no doubt that it made a difference. Jota’s death is far bigger than wins and losses.
Liverpool sold players who were familiar with each other and the system. Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Kelleher and Quansah. Alexander-Arnold left on a free to Real Madrid.
What no one expected was that performance levels of certain players would fall through the floor. Salah dropped off dramatically. Cody Gakpo looked a shadow of the player he was in 2024-25. Alexis Mac Allister appeared to be sapped of all energy. Isak would be injured for most of the season. Allison would miss a large number of games and Mamardashvili would unconvincingly fill in. The new full backs struggled to settle, especially Frimpong. It says much about Frimpong that Curtis Jones would play right back even when Frimpong was fully fit. Conor Bradley suffered an injury, hardly featuring. Wirtz had moments of quality but looked lightweight in a Premier League midfield. Ekitike was a bright spark until he also suffered a serious injury.
The squad would end the season with question marks everywhere. Just how many new signing would be needed? Which positions should be prioritised? What of the manager?
Let’s take a look. Starting with the goalkeeper position.
Alisson
A world class goalkeeper for such a long time. Liverpool have been lucky to have him. Injuries seem to be plaguing him and Juventus appear ready to sign him. It could be that Alisson is about to move on.
Giorgi Mamardashvili
Signed after a fantastic Euros for Gerogia and also because Liverpool discovered a release clause in his Valencia contract. Liverpool in the FSG era have always been keen to bring players in below market value or for a price where they could potentially make a resale profit. Mamardashvili has not made any glaring errors. Equally he has not made any match winning saves. It might be unfair to judge him during a season where he has not been the number one and the team has struggled, but with Alisson potentially leaving Liverpool would be wise to look for a goalkeeper,
Three Potential Targets
Gregor Kobel - Borussia Dortmund
Kobel is 28 years old, 6 feet 4 inches tall and approximately 88kg. He immediately brings the size and experience that would increase the chances of success in the Premier League. Although WhoScored suggests he is weak at catching crosses. In the 25-26 Bundesliga season he faced an xG over 40 and conceded 34 goals in 34 games, with zero errors leading to goals. His passing has a 72% success rate and 37% success on long balls. This compares to Alisson’s 79% and 39%. Alisson had a 65% save rate, compared to Kobel’s 72.4%. His expected fee varies between £35 million and £55 million.
Bart Verbruggen - Brighton
A younger option than Kobel, but with plenty of Premier League experience. Verbruggen is almost identical in size and weight as Kobel (listed as 6 feet 4 and approximately 88kg). He is only 23, but has almost 100 Premier League appearance and passed a quarter century of caps for the Netherlands. Verbruggen conceded 43 goals for Brighton sporting a solid 70% save percentage. The pass completion is 76% and 35% for long passes. A higher asking price would be likely, especially from one Premier League club to another, but there would be the prospect of a player who could improve, play in goal for a decade and still command a fee.
Mile Svilar - Roma
Svilar has had an excellent season for Roma, with 77% save rate. His high claim numbers are better than both Kobel (18) and Verbruggen (24), with 30 successes, potentially important in a set piece dominated Premier League. Svilar is 6 feet 2 inches tall and 81kg, a little smaller than the other prospects. Svilar did have quite a difficult time at Benfica but has matured at Roma. His overall pass success is 69% but his long pass success is 38%, with over 200 accurate long passes. Vilar is 26 years old and could represent the cheapest of these three options.
My Pick
Bart Verbruggen
The combination of Premier League experience, youth and potential means that Verbruggen is possibly the best choice. Only possibly because Kobel is an experienced goal keeper and generally fees between Bundesliga clubs and Premier League clubs are lower than Premier League to Premier League.