In the end, Federico Chiesa , as opportunistic a signing as they come, was the only addition to the Liverpool roster ahead of 2024/25. Giorgi Mamardashvili could end up being a masterstroke but he won't be moving to Anfield for at least another year.
Neither of those positions was the number one priority heading into Arne Slot and Richard Hughes' first summer at the helm and while each could play a big part in Liverpool's future, there are a couple of glaring gaps that need filling. The Reds look at least one player light in midfield — number six, certainly, but possibly a bit further forward too — and arguably in defense as well.
It is possible that Liverpool might get a substantial amount more good fortune in terms of injuries this season — and Slot's more controlled style should help with that — but it is a gamble. Chiesa is just another player now on the Reds' roster who has an injury history littered with problems .
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But while Liverpool was limited in terms of its incomings, it wasn't for a lack of trying. Martin Zubimendi choosing to stay put at Real Sociedad wasn't something that Hughes saw coming having agreed to pay his $66m (£51m/€60m) release clause.
Zubimendi might well regret not giving the move a try when he looks back on his career but the Reds could do no more. The only question is whether an alternative should have been found in what was a priority position to strengthen in the market.
The money was there to be spent but Liverpool couldn't convince the player to part ways with his boyhood side and the wait for a top-class holding midfielder goes on. To a list that already includes Aurelien Tchouameni, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia , you can add Zubimendi's name.
There was money to be splashed in other areas too. Liverpool agreed a deal in principle with Newcastle United that would have seen the Reds sign Anthony Gordon , with Joe Gomez heading the other way in part-exchange.
But while that would have seen Gordon sign for $96m (£75m/€89m) and Gomez leave for $59m (£45m/€53m), the Magpies solved their PSR concerns by selling Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson instead. Having made enough moves to make keeping Gordon possible, Newcastle was then insistent he wouldn't be leaving having only considered selling him with its back to the wall.
FSG was willing to bankroll some big moves, as evidenced by the fact that two (Gordon and Zubimendi) were essentially agreed. But it was a bold strategy not to find an alternative midfield option and to go with Chiesa as an extra forward line addition.
In defense, Leny Yoro was viewed as someone who would be worth pursuing but Liverpool didn't want a defender at all costs. The former Lille ace was spotted as a potentially world-class player in the making but chose Manchester United despite interest from the Reds and Real Madrid .
Liverpool couldn't get deals done for any defenders, holding midfielders or Gordon, but in making those moves, there are signposts as to what the future holds. Gordon remains very much admired and with uncertainty over the long-term future of at least a couple of existing attackers at Anfield, he is someone to keep an eye on in the future.
Virgil van Dijk , of course, is in the final year of his current Liverpool contract and Yoro could have been a long-term succession plan. Finding someone to come in at the back is another area of the field to prioritize in the near future — and in holding midfield, that has been an obvious place to get a world-class addition through the door for some time.
So while Liverpool didn't get the deals done that it aimed for in the market, we do have some idea of what comes next. Gordon is someone to watch, while additions in holding midfield and center-back have already been identified as areas worth bolstering.
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