Liverpool’s sudden slump in form has come as a shock to many this season.
The Anfield side were among the Premier League’s most dominant teams last year, with their Champions League journey only halted by the sheer quality of Paris Saint-Germain.
Supporters were left excited about what lay ahead, expecting the momentum to carry on — but reality has told a different story.
Last season, Liverpool’s football was sharp and unpredictable, driven in large part by Mohamed Salah enjoying arguably the best campaign of his career.
This time around, however, the Egyptian has struggled to hit those same heights, while key figures like Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté have also fallen well below their usual standards.
As a result, Arne Slot may now be questioning some of the decisions made during the summer transfer window.
Jarrell Quansah
One of Slot’s biggest “what ifs” could be the departure of Jarrell Quansah.
Able to operate both at centre-back and right-back, Quansah’s flexibility would have been hugely valuable amid Liverpool’s defensive issues this season.
While his desire for regular minutes understandably influenced the move, the way the campaign has unfolded suggests he could have made a real difference.
Familiar with Liverpool’s system, the young defender may have been prone to the occasional error, but he would likely have offered more consistency than Konaté has managed at times.
Although Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury was impossible to foresee, entering the season with only four senior centre-backs now looks like a costly gamble.
Liverpool do hold a buy-back option in Quansah’s contract, but in hindsight, keeping him around to prove himself may have been the wiser choice.
Luis Díaz
Luis Díaz is arguably the most glaring omission.
The 2024–25 campaign was the finest of the Colombian’s career, with the former Porto winger truly thriving at Anfield.
Yet with just two years left on his deal and no agreement over an extension, Liverpool sanctioned a move worth more than £60 million to Bayern Munich.
At the time, supporters celebrated the fee, but many are now left wishing Díaz had stayed. He has hit the ground running in Germany and has been central to Bayern’s dominance this season.
Had Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes kept him a little longer, Liverpool’s attack might be in a far healthier place. Díaz could well have cemented the left-wing role, pushing Cody Gakpo out of the starting XI.
While the Dutchman has delivered flashes of quality, fans have often felt Díaz’s presence has been sorely missed, particularly given his current form.
Harvey Elliott
Perhaps the most debatable departure is Harvey Elliott.
A regular under Jürgen Klopp, Elliott found opportunities harder to come by after Slot’s arrival, despite his versatility. With plenty of competition in his position and the arrival of Wirtz in the summer, the midfielder’s chances steadily diminished.
Still, given the struggles of Liverpool’s attackers this season, it’s easy to imagine Elliott playing a useful role. Whether out wide on the right or in midfield, the 22-year-old’s energy and creativity could have provided a much-needed spark.
There’s no way of knowing exactly how things would have played out had all three remained at Anfield. But with Liverpool’s current struggles, it’s hard to ignore how valuable Quansah, Díaz, and Elliott might have been for Slot and his side this season.
