Liverpool’s Transfers: Rate The 2020 Summer Window

Liverpool made a splash with Thiago Alcantara, got needed depth
with Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas, but failed to get another
center back. There’s also the issue of not having moved on one of
Xherdan Shaqiri or Marko Grujic, leaving the team with one more
senior international player than can be registered.

And with that, the 2020 summer international transfer window has officially slammed shut. It turned
out to be a quiet day as far as Liverpool were concerned, with no incoming or outgoing
transfers. Michael Edwards, Mike Gordon, and Jurgen Klopp are not
the type to leave things until the panicked throes of deadline
day.

Liverpool come into the window with no major holes to fill, but
rather seemed focused on reinforcing the squad with depth. Michael
Edwards handled the most glaring need first, depth at left back
behind Andrew Robertson. After a deal for Jamal Lewis fell apart
when Norwich decided to play hardball, the transfer committee
swiftly pivoted to Kostas Tsimikas. The transfer for the Greek
defender was wrapped up before anyone even had time to figure out
the correct pronunciation of his name.

A month later, after a tedious slow speed chase, Thiago
Alcantara entered the fold from Bayern
Munich. This transfer signaled that FSG and Liverpool were not
just looking for moneyball transfers. This was a statement of
intent, bringing in one of the best midfielders in the world in the
prime of his career at what was already a position of strength.

Liverpool fans barely had time to process the joy of finally
signing Thiago before new broke that Diogo Jota from Wolves would
be brought in as attacking reinforcements. The Portuguese player
had eerily similar statistics to Sadio Mane in the years preceding his own move
to Liverpool.

The only remaining need seemed to be bringing in a 4th center
back to replace Dejan Lovren, and sorting the future of fringe
players. Rhian Brewster moved to Sheffield United in a move that seemed to benefit all
parties involved. Liverpool got a solid fee for a player who has
yet to play a Premier League minute, as well as a sell on fee and a
buy-back clause. Sheffield United got a player who should bang in
some much needed goals for their anemic offense.

And that, dear reader, brings us to deadline day. After a rough
outing against Aston Villa,
there was a whiff of a rumor that Paulo Gazzaniga would be brought in for Adrian,
but that was quickly quashed. Instead, it just seemed to be a
waiting game to learn the final destination for at least one of
Marko Grujic, Harry Wilson, or Xherdan Shaqiri.
While there seemed to be plenty of interest, no one seemed willing
to stump up the cash needed to make the permanent deal Liverpool
wanted.

Instead, Liverpool are now left with 18 senior international
players, and only 17 can be registered. That means Grujic will be
sent on loan to a Championship side (there are still two weeks left
to deal with the lower tiers in the UK), or he or Shaqiri will be
relegated to hanging out with the yutes of the U23 side.

All in all, it seemed like another extremely strong window for
Liverpool. The initial outlay for the Thiago and Diogo (the
Go-Go’s?) was pretty tiny, which is ideal in this time of uncertain
revenues. There is finally much needed depth at left back and wide
forward, and Liverpool brought in a legitimate world class talent.
Not getting a fourth center back is concerning, especially with the
injury history of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, but it appears Liverpool are ready
to roll with a combination of Fabinho, Nathaniel Phillips, or one
of the youth contingent.

On the outgoing side, Dejan Lovren and Rhian Brewster go a long
way to offsetting the cost of the incoming players. Selling or two
of the fringe players could have ended up seeing Liverpool breaking
even, which is always exciting for the #netspend crowd, but
Liverpool stuck to their valuations and instead have a bit of
roster congestion.

My grade: A-

What is your grade for the transfer window?