Arne Slot defends Liverpool’s summer signings: ‘£450m very well spent’

Arne Slot has launched into a defence of Liverpool’s record spending spree by declaring they bought “great” players who will be a “big, big, big success” at Anfield and insisting they did very well with their money.

Liverpool spent £450m last summer, more than any English club had ever paid out in one transfer window, and broke first their own transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz for £100m and then the British record to buy Alexander Isak for £125m.

Liverpool are only sixth in the Premier League, despite their huge outlay, with Isak, who is currently out with a broken leg, scoring just three goals in 17 games for the club.

But Slot is confident the Swede and Wirtz, plus top scorer Hugo Ekitike, full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, injured centre-back Giovanni Leoni and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili represent a good use of Liverpool’s budget.

“They are great football players which will be a big, big, big success for this club,” he said. “In general I only ever see, ‘£450m spent, 450, 450, 450’. And no one looks at the circumstances, which are that the £450m is very well spent, very, very, very well spent - one more time, very well spent.”

Slot often points out that, over his time in charge, Liverpool have brought in around £300m so it is not a £450m net spend.

And because of injuries he is not able to put all that £450m on the pitch. He believes he will be without £300m of talent against West Ham on Saturday with Leoni out for the season, Isak for another few weeks and Wirtz missing with a back problem, while Mamardashvili will be on the bench, though Frimpong is able to return.

But he accepts that Liverpool have not always seen the newcomers at their best, adding: “Alex has not been the Alex of Newcastle, [apart from] maybe 20 minutes at Tottenham, I don’t criticise him because we signed him for six years not six months. Giorgi, we needed him because Caoimh [Kelleher] left but we hardly played with two goalkeepers. Jeremie has been many times injured, Giovanni [is] out for the season. Tomorrow, I miss out on Florian. Him and Hugo and Milos needed time to adapt.”