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Only two of the players Liverpool signed last summer have justified their transfers, according to journalist James Pearce. The club spent ÂŁ446 million but has not met expectations, struggling to qualify for the Champions League after a title-winning season.
Journalist: Only two of the players Liverpool signed last summer have âjustifiedâ their transfers
James Pearce has claimed that only two of the players who Liverpool signed during a ÂŁ446m shopping spree last summer have âreally justifiedâ the clubâs faith thus far.
The Reds threw caution to the wind in the transfer window a few months ago, with Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and club-record purchase Alexander Isak all joining Arne Slotâs squad.
However, the collective impact of the new arrivals hasnât met initial expectations, with LFC going from Premier League title glory 12 months ago to a fight to merely qualify for the Champions League, even with England guaranteed at least five participants.
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In an article for The Athletic reflecting on Liverpoolâs defeat at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, Pearce wrote that âquestion marks remain against so many of last summerâs signingsâ, who he discussed in turn.
He opined: âFlorian Wirtz failed to step up in either of the legs against PSG. Itâs not his fault that he cost a fee rising to ÂŁ116m, but with that kind of price tag comes big expectations that heâs not even close to meeting. He was massively outshone by Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.
âJeremie Frimpong struggled in the first half to such an extent that he was hooked off at the break, and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, whose kicking especially is a big concern, continues to look a big downgrade on Alisson.
âWith Giovanni Leoni injured and Isak floundering either side of his fitness issues, only Milos Kerkez and Ekitike have really justified the faith Liverpool showed when they embarked on last yearâs record-breaking spending spree.â
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The French striker has been a definite success, with his 17 goals making him our top scorer for the season (sadly he wonât add to that tally after suffering a serious injury last night), while the Hungarian left-back has grown into a solid presence in the team after a shaky start to his Anfield career.
What of the other five names mentioned by Pearce (weâre including Mamardashvili as, despite being signed in 2024, this is his first campaign with the Reds)? Is the reporterâs verdict on those players warranted or overly harsh?
Frimpong has provided a lively presence along the right flank in between his all too frequent injury problems, although last night was one of his poorest games for Liverpool before he was substituted at half-time.
(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Leoni is exempt from judgement as he only made one (impressive) appearance before suffering a cruel ACL injury â hopefully he can return from that heartbreaking setback stronger than before.
Mamardashvili has pulled off some fine saves in his LFC outings so far and is a very good goalkeeper in his own right, but heâs yet to show that he seems capable of reaching the same world-class standards as Alisson.
Wirtz has shown flashes of brilliance in a Liverpool shirt and his quality is undoubted, but heâs been worrying ineffective in recent games, and a return of six goals in 44 games isnât enough for a playmaker of his capabilities.
Isakâs output has also been way short of what wouldâve been expected for his transfer fee, although fitness problems and a serious injury have prevented him from making a prolonged impact at Anfield so far, so we wouldnât write him off as an expensive flop just yet.
We donât doubt that Slot has some excellent players in his squad, but collectively they have underperformed to a massive degree this season, and most of the summer 2025 signings still have plenty to prove in a red shirt. Hopefully in time theyâll all turn out to be worthwhile investments.
James Pearce did not specify which two players justified their transfers, only stating that two out of the new signings have met expectations.
Liverpool spent ÂŁ446 million on new players during the last summer transfer window.
The collective impact of Liverpool's new signings has been disappointing, as the team is now fighting to qualify for the Champions League.
Liverpool won the Premier League title last season but is now struggling to maintain a position for Champions League qualification this season.

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