Liverpool's Transfer Dilemma: Replacing Salah and Strengthening the Squad

Liverpool are running out of road.

With roughly a week left of the window, Anfield still feels light. The squad looks busy on paper, but thin where it really matters if they want to go toe-to-toe for trophies again this season.

Andoni Iraola was hired to shake things up. He has. Four first-team players have gone, three have come in. The problem? None of the arrivals convincingly match the level of those they’ve replaced. The churn is there, the upgrade isn’t – at least not yet.

Supporters are clinging to the idea that the former Bournemouth manager can knit this all together once the dust settles. But the clock is loud now.

Salah-sized hole, slow response

One issue towers over the rest.

Replacing Mohamed Salah should have been item one on Liverpool’s summer agenda. Everyone at the club knew it. Richard Hughes certainly did. He’s been aware since early July that Yan Diomande would not be the man to fill that void, which only sharpens the question: why is Salah’s successor still not through the door?

Bradley Barcola has become the primary target. On talent, he fits the brief. On price, he’s a problem. Paris Saint-Germain’s asking fee is described as extortionate and remains a major stumbling block, leaving the deal stuck in the negotiation mud while the days disappear.

That delay has opened the door to a carousel of alternative names, each one briefly grabbing the attention of a restless fanbase.

Mbaye interest grows

Ibrahim Mbaye is among those alternatives. At 18, already making noise in Paris, he is not exactly a hidden gem. Liverpool like him, but so do plenty of others. His age and reputation have drawn rival interest, turning any move into a scramble rather than a clear run.

The uncertainty around Mbaye only added to the anxiety until an update from Fabrizio Romano offered at least some encouragement. It didn’t solve Liverpool’s problems, but it gave supporters a sliver of reassurance that the club remain active and engaged in that particular chase.

Right now, though, “active” needs to turn into “done.”

Gakpo pressure and a fragile attack

Complicating everything is the situation around Cody Gakpo.

Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are both hovering, testing Liverpool’s resolve as they look to prise the Dutchman away before the deadline. The timing could hardly be worse. On Sunday, Gakpo was Liverpool’s most dangerous attacker, the one forward who consistently looked capable of making something happen.

Selling him now, with so much still up in the air, would be a major gamble.

Yes, Liverpool could still land Mbaye and Barcola. On paper, that sounds like a thrilling injection of talent. In reality, they would still be one attacker short, especially with Hugo Ekitike sidelined indefinitely and no clear return date in sight.

Strip Gakpo out of that picture and the forward line starts to look alarmingly exposed.

Hughes and Liverpool’s recruitment team have days, not weeks, to fix it. If the window closes without serious reinforcement in attack, the questions won’t be gentle. And that’s before anyone even dares to touch Gakpo.