Liverpool's Summer Rebuild: Seven Signings Needed Under Iraola

Liverpool face a summer of upheaval under new head coach Andoni Iraola, with claims the club may need as many as seven signings to repair what insiders describe as “major issues” in the squad.

The former Bournemouth boss has signed a two-year deal to succeed Arne Slot and walks into a dressing room stripped of some of its biggest names and certainty. Liverpool’s defence of their 20th Premier League title fell flat, and the squad that delivered it is already being dismantled.

Mohamed Salah has gone. Andy Robertson is on his way out. More departures are expected.

A squad creaking all over the pitch

Behind the scenes, the scale of the rebuild is being laid bare. Football Insider report that Liverpool are being urged to “complete seven new signings” this window, with a source warning that Iraola will be hit by serious problems “immediately”.

“Iraola is going to face some major issues immediately,” the source said. “We were expecting his arrival to be announced, so he will already have assessed his squad, and he will know there are problems there.”

The assessment is brutal. Line the team up position by position, and the gaps start to shout back.

Alisson Becker, long regarded as one of the pillars of Liverpool’s modern era, “could be the next big name to go” after Salah and Robertson. Juventus have already had a move blocked by Liverpool chiefs, but the Brazilian is due for talks with the Anfield hierarchy over his future. The possibility of losing their goalkeeper as well only deepens the sense of urgency.

At the back, Robertson is leaving, Ibrahima Konaté is also heading for the exit, and Virgil van Dijk, the captain and defensive reference point, is now 34. His influence remains enormous, but the club know they are planning around an ageing centre-half.

On top of that, the squad needs a right-back. Not a luxury signing. A necessity.

“I would say there are probably six or seven positions with players already in need of replacing,” the source added. “Look through the team one by one: Alisson could be leaving, we know Robertson and Konate are going, Van Dijk is 34 and ageing now, and they need a right-back.”

Salah gone, attack in flux

The problems don’t stop at the back.

Salah’s departure rips a hole in Liverpool’s attack that can’t be patched with a single signing. Internally, there is an acceptance that two wingers may be required this summer to reshape the frontline and spread the goals and creativity that once flowed almost automatically from the right flank.

Further complicating matters, Hugo Ekitike is out until next year with injury. Another body lost, another gap to plug.

“Further up the pitch, Salah has gone, and Ekitike is out until next year with this injury, so there’s another two players needing to be replaced,” the source said. “Already, that’s multiple key positions that need dealing with, and the manager will know that better than anybody, he will be prepared.”

Liverpool have been exploring ways to accelerate the rebuild. One option on the table is a swap deal involving an underperforming player to land RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande, who has been mooted as their leading target to replace Salah. The club are also expected to look for upgrades at right-back, centre-back and central midfield, reshaping the spine as well as the flanks.

Iraola’s test – and the backing he needs

Iraola arrives with a clear reputation: intense, aggressive football, a high press, and a demand for brave defenders and hard-running midfielders. To impose that style at Anfield, he needs more than ideas. He needs reinforcements.

“It’s now about whether he will get that backing, and I expect he will, to make the changes that need to be made,” the Football Insider source said. “Ultimately, the goal for Iraola at Liverpool is going to be to make them successful again, but to do that, he’s going to need a lot of support.”

The picture is stark. A potential goalkeeper exit. A defence losing Robertson and Konaté with Van Dijk edging into the final stretch of his peak years. A right-back still to be found. A forward line without Salah and with Ekitike sidelined until next year. Central areas earmarked for upgrades.

Seven signings sounds dramatic. Looking at the squad Iraola inherits, it might simply be the starting point for a club trying to stay at the top while rebuilding almost everything that got them there.