Liverpool: Arne Slot promises evolution ahead of Premier League title defence and outlines transfer plans

Evening Standard

·25 Mei 2025

Liverpool: Arne Slot promises evolution ahead of Premier League title defence and outlines transfer plans

The Reds will chase some long-established transfer targets this summer

Arne Slot has promised that his Liverpool side will develop ahead of next season after he won the Premier League in his first season in charge.

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The Dutchman took over from Jurgen Klopp last summer and clinched the title with four matches to spare. He became just the sixth manager to top the table in his debut season, joining the likes of Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti in that honour.

Slot lifted the trophy with his players after drawing 1-1 with Crystal Palace to cap off the campaign, Mohamed Salah scoring a volley late on to rescue a point and kick off the celebrations. The Reds cruised to the title, holding on to the top spot since early November. While he did not expect such a strong campaign, Slot acknowledged that some flaws still needed to be corrected.

“You always have to try to become better,” he said. “I think there are a few things in our game that we can improve with these players, which is normal, what every team tries to do.”

According to Slot, there will be no dramatic changes this summer, but he insisted there is no room for complacency.

“It would be weird if we were completely different, but we have to adapt. If there is a possibility, you try to strengthen it with players you bring in.

“We need to be better next season because competition will probably be even better next season as well.”

Liverpool have started early on strengthening the squad ahead of the new campaign, with reports stating they are close to signing both full-back Jeremie Frimpong and attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, both of Bayer Leverkusen.

Pressed to lift the curtain on his transfer plans, Slot simply said he was happy to have extended Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk’s contracts last month, reiterating that changes would not be dramatic.

“I am not sure if it is going to be a lot,” he said, asked how many signings fans could expect.

“We know, the club, [sporting director Richard Hughes], the ownership, we are all aligned on what we are trying to achieve.

“It's already very positive that we kept [Salah] and [Van Dijk], and a few others we have tried to sign.

“We are very happy with the squad we have, and this club has always shown that if they can strengthen the team, that is what they do. But big or not, it is already a big summer because we won the league.”

Liverpool clinched the Premier League with four games to spare after beating Tottenham 5-1 in April, but Slot said he had turned his attention to prepping for next season long before then. That showed in the club’s results, as they failed to win any of their remaining matches, losing to Chelsea and Brighton while recording draws against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.

“Even during the season, you are already looking towards the next season,” he continued. “Our sporting director is more focused on the long term than me, but keeps me informed all the time. As you can expect, the targets we have now didn't come up last week. We were looking for them for a long time.”