🔴 EOTK Insider Opinion: Why Liverpool's quiet summer isn't a disaster

Liverpool got their business done early with Ibou Konate, but have perhaps stood still for a little too long...

First, allow me to address that headline… I’m not trying to say Liverpool signing just one player this summer is something to celebrate, I’m simply hoping to convey that it’s not the disaster some are making it out to be.

It was announced in May that Ibou Konate would join Liverpool the following month, after the Reds hashed out an agreement with RB Leipzig for his transfer, which now feels like an awfully long time ago.

With high-profile moves involving the likes of Jadon Sancho, Romelu Lukaku, Jack Grealish and even Cristiano Ronaldo, it can get a little frustrating watching Liverpool stand still in the transfer market.

But the Reds aren’t in a position in which pulling off a blockbuster signing is required. Chelsea needed a prolific goal-scorer, Manchester United were crying out for fresh faces and Man City… play by different rules, simply put.

With Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson now fit and firing again, Jurgen Klopp will be handed a massive boost this season - and let’s not forget the addition of Konate, who is yet to make his full debut for the Reds.

But, let’s be honest - with what last season taught us about fitness and squad depth, Liverpool are clearly in need of reinforcements in different areas of the team, namely right-back, right-wing and centre-forward.

Neco Williams recently picked up a minor injury which has ruled him out of Wales’ upcoming fixtures, and has seemingly forced him to hit pause on any motions to leave Anfield this month, offering Trent Alexander-Arnold a continued understudy for now.

With Xherdan Shaqiri now plying his trade for Ligue 1 side Lyon, Liverpool are a little lighter in the wings, but that isn’t to say a transfer is needed to fill the gap left by the Swiss flyer.

Harvey Elliott has started the season in meteoric form, not dropping an iota of the momentum he picked up playing for Blackburn Rovers in the Championship last term - in which he bagged an impressive 18 goal contributions in 41 matches.

Shaqiri managed to find the back of the net on just one occasion last season, so the 18-year-old shouldn’t have much of a problem offering at least as much as the seasoned pro, with all due respect.

Now, we have to address the problem with Liverpool’s quiet window - admittedly, we don’t have good enough depth up-front.

While it’s a positive Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino are fighting for the No.9 spot, and it’s conceivable the likes of Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino and the versatile Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can offer some depth, whether that’s good enough for what Liverpool are hoping to achieve this season is questionable.

Just as the Reds did when Dejan Lovren left the club and wasn’t replaced, a risk is being taken in assuming Jota and Firmino can go the next eight months without picking up lasting injuries. Maybe it’s a risk worth taking, all things considered, but there’s an unshakable feeling that a young, hungry forward thrown into the mix would have been a huge, almost necessary, plus.

Thankfully, there is another transfer window in just over 12 weeks.

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