Jamie Carragher has suggested that Liverpool manager Arne Slot has a “big pot of money to spend”, but doesn’t anticipate the club making any big moves before the January transfer window closes. Slot, who has made a significant impact in his debut season at Anfield, leading the team to the top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables, has managed to do without any major signings since taking over from Jurgen Klopp.
The only notable additions have been Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, in a deal worth up to £29million delayed until the summer, and Euro 2020 winner Federico Chiesa for a bargain £10m, although injury and fitness issues have limited his playing time to just 190 minutes of action.
Despite the usual January transfer speculation, there’s been little talk of new arrivals at Anfield, given the depth and performance of the current squad. Speaking on The Overlap’s Fan Debate Transfer Special, Carragher shared his thoughts on Liverpool’s approach, suggesting that fans hoping for a surprise last-minute signing may be disappointed.
He said: “I’m a big believer in that [coaches improve players] – we all get excited by transfers and we always want to see our team improve. So when you actually look at Slot – [Ryan] Gravenberch looks a different player, Luis Diaz looks a different player,[Cody] Gakpo looks a different player. So he’s had an influence there. Some of them [were] bought 18 months ago but they look completely different.”
Given Liverpool’s track record of signing just one player in the last three transfer windows, the Sky Sports pundit has inferred that Slot must have a substantial transfer budget at his disposal for future signings, reports the Mirror. He added: “There’s no doubt, the fact that Liverpool haven’t bought anyone this window, didn’t really buy anyone in the summer, there must be a big pot of money there to buy whoever they want maybe next summer.”
The pundit then probed The Athletic’s David Ornstein for any insider information, stating he wasn’t aware of Liverpool planning any moves before the upcoming Monday deadline. It seems increasingly probable that Slot will hold onto whatever funds he has for the time being.
One name linked with the Reds is Dutch defender Jorrel Hato, who was spotted at Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town. Rumours suggest the 18-year-old Ajax starlet, reportedly valued around £25million, was a guest of Gravenberch.
