Following a quiet 2024 summer transfer window, Liverpool made up for lost time this year, bringing in more than £400 million’s worth of new talent, with a particular focus on the attack.
The £100m signing of Florian Wirtz was the club’s first major attacking deal of the summer and the German was followed in by Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak, with the trio adding both strength and depth to the champions’ frontline.
Arne Slot’s side kicked off the campaign with five straight wins in the Premier League and the signing of this new trio has impressed former Reds midfielder Danny Murphy.
Danny Murphy on Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak signings
The ex-England man kicks off his assessment of the new boys with his take on Florian Wirtz. “I’m a big, big fan,” he tells FourFourTwo. “He’s got amazing bravery and creativity, and he doesn’t mind making mistakes to try to win games. He’s also got that thing that I don’t think you can coach, which is seeing the whole picture early, before anyone else on the pitch sees it.
“Liverpool had no-one like him, and there’s probably been no-one like him since Philippe Coutinho, to be honest. You don’t want to become predictable – when you become successful, all of the other teams start making plans to stop what they know, so you have to bring a different problem. If Liverpool were looking for that profile of player, they went and got the best out there.”
As Newcastle dug their heels in regarding Alexander Isak, Liverpool swooped for Hugo Ekitike, who would net in the Community Shield and add two more goals and an assist before the Swede arrived on Merseyside.
“There’s just lots to like about him,” Murphy says of the Frenchman. “I’m impressed with his confidence, that belief in himself to walk on to the pitch, to play at Wembley, to play at Anfield and try things, to express himself. That takes courage for a young player, with a big fee on his head.
“His awareness of others has really impressed me. He just sees pictures of things around him, the deft touches have probably been the stand-out for me because I saw him more as a big lad who could maybe beat people and score goals. I hadn’t seen that deftness that fans love. But all of it is done with purpose, it’s not showboating.”
Murphy also believes that Ekitike’s versatility will serve him well over the season. “The good thing is that Ekitike’s adaptable,” adds Murphy. “He can play wide, he can play a bit deeper – he’s got that versatility that always helps in a long season.”
Isak finally arrived on deadline day in a £125m move and Murphy believes he was worth the wait.
“Isak is quite complete. He can run in behind, he can be a link player because his feet are so good, and he also scores the normal striker’s goals.
“Probably the reason that he shone so much last season was that he stayed fit, so he built up strength and confidence. When he first came to England, he was not as reliable in his link-up – he was much more reliable last season.”
