Liverpool's Crucial Week: Replacing Salah and Gakpo's Future

Liverpool are staring at a crucial week that could define their season, and the squad still looks worryingly light.

The club knew this summer would bring change. Four first-team players have gone, three have arrived, and yet there’s a nagging feeling around Anfield that the team has taken a step down in quality rather than up. The rebuild Andoni Iraola was expected to drive is still more theory than reality.

Supporters are clinging to the hope that the former Bournemouth manager can mould something coherent and competitive from what he has. But the clock is ticking.

Salah void still gaping

One issue towers above the rest. Mohamed Salah’s replacement.

That should have been the first item on Liverpool’s to-do list. Everyone at the club has known since the start of July that Yan Diomande would not be the man to fill that role. Richard Hughes has had weeks to pivot, reassess and act. The question now being asked is simple: why has it taken so long?

Bradley Barcola has emerged as the primary target. The Frenchman would be a statement signing, but Paris Saint-Germain’s price is sky-high and remains the main obstacle. The fee has stalled negotiations and opened the door for a carousel of alternative names to be linked.

Among them is Ibrahim Mbaye. At just 18, already making noise in Paris, he has attracted interest from a host of clubs, Liverpool included. His age, profile and potential have sparked debate among fans about whether he’s one for now or one for later. But an update from Fabrizio Romano has at least given Liverpool’s support some renewed optimism in their pursuit.

Gakpo uncertainty adds to tension

As if the Salah-sized hole wasn’t enough, there’s another cloud forming over the forward line.

Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are both hovering around Cody Gakpo, testing Liverpool’s resolve and threatening to unsettle one of their most dangerous attackers. On Sunday, Gakpo was Liverpool’s standout threat. On current form, letting him go this late in the window would border on reckless.

The scenario is stark. Liverpool could, in theory, land both Mbaye and Barcola in the coming days. Even then, they would still be one attacker short, with Hugo Ekitike sidelined for an indefinite period. Take Gakpo out of that equation and the picture becomes even bleaker.

Hughes now faces a brutal seven-day stretch. Strengthen the attack decisively, or walk into the new campaign with a frontline that looks weaker on paper and thinner in depth.

If the window closes without serious reinforcement up front, the questions won’t just be loud. They’ll be unavoidable. And that’s before anyone even dares to imagine Gakpo being sold.