Liverpool’s Summer Questions: Right Wing, Right-Back and Future Planning

Less than a month to go. Liverpool are in the United States, learning Andoni Iraola’s methods under the glare of pre-season, and yet the real noise around Anfield is coming from elsewhere: the transfer market, the boardroom, and a clutch of teenagers trying to crash the first-team party.

With Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all having walked away for nothing at the end of last season, this is not a gentle reset. It’s a jolt. And supporters can feel it.

Here’s where things really stand.

Bajcetic at Right-Back? Not Any Time Soon

The idea is tempting. A technical midfielder, comfortable on the ball, shuffled into a problem position. Ollie Fox asked whether Stefan Bajcetic could become an option for Iraola at right-back.

History offers a clue. Bajcetic has played there for Liverpool before, but you have to go back to September 2023. It didn’t work especially well and it didn’t last.

Right now, his battle isn’t about positions. It’s about availability. After so long out, Bajcetic’s first and only job is to get himself fully fit and in contention for regular minutes again, even if that means another loan spell away from Anfield.

Only when he’s robust, playing frequently and back in rhythm will anyone seriously revisit the notion of him as a right-back. At this stage, that possibility is a long way down the road.

Replacing Salah: Homework Done, Decision Still to Come

You don’t lose Mohamed Salah and just “cope”. You replace him with a statement.

Emmanuel Ademu wanted to know what Liverpool are doing about that right-wing berth. Quite a lot, as it happens.

Liverpool were prepared to go big for Yan Diomande, with a willingness to pay £86 million. RB Leipzig refused to sell at that figure, and the player now appears set on joining Paris Saint-Germain. That door has all but closed.

PSG winger Bradley Barcola sits on the Reds’ shortlist but comes with a price tag north of £100m. Brighton’s Yanbuka Minteh, Koln’s Said El Mala and Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo have all been assessed, while Liverpool also made an enquiry earlier in the window about Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche.

Intriguingly, none of those names has moved yet this summer. Liverpool are clearly doing their homework, casting the net across age profiles and leagues, and there will be other, less public targets under scrutiny.

Iraola has been blunt: a new right-winger is imperative. The club know it. The market knows it. The only unknown is whether Liverpool go for a headline signing or a slightly more leftfield solution that fits the system rather than the billboards.

Centre-Forward: Isak Needs Help

Tom raised the next obvious issue: centre-forward. With Alexander Isak as the only recognised option and not the most durable, Liverpool are walking a tightrope.

There is a desire to strengthen the forward line with a right-winger, but the long-term injury to Hugo Ekitike and the wish not to overload Isak point towards the need for another attacking body.

If no new central striker arrives, the contingency plans are already sketched out. Cody Gakpo could again be asked to plug gaps down the middle. Florian Wirtz can operate as a false nine. Federico Chiesa is another candidate to step inside.

None of them truly convinced in that role last season. They’re solutions, not answers.

Beyond that, Iraola would be dipping into the Academy. When fit, Jayden Danns would be ahead of Will Wright in the pecking order. It’s a reminder of how thin the margin is up front if the club decide to prioritise wide areas over a pure No.9.

Richard Hughes: One Window and Out?

Joe’s question cut straight to the boardroom: is sporting director Richard Hughes leaving at the end of the window?

The expectation inside the game is growing that he will. Once this summer’s business is wrapped up, Hughes is widely tipped to move on, with Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal seen as his most likely destination.

That leaves Liverpool facing yet another reset in a key strategic role. The club have cycled through several sporting directors in recent years, and one internal option would be to look again at Julian Ward, currently technical director for Fenway Sports Group.

For now, though, there is no firm indication that a successor has been lined up. Hughes is working this window knowing it may be his last at Anfield, and the question of who shapes Liverpool’s long-term squad planning after him remains unanswered.

Kids on Tour: Who’s Really Close?

A US tour always brings optimism about the next generation. Thomas asked which of the youngsters might actually break through this season.

Most of the Academy players out in America are either already familiar with senior football via loans or just taking their first steps. James McConnell, Lewis Koumas, Calum Scanlon, Luke Chambers and Harvey Davies have all had spells away and are likely to head back out again to continue their development.

Then there are the fresh faces. Sixteen-year-old winger Josh Abe has created a genuine buzz with his performances and potential. For him, though, the logical next step is a heavy load of games in Premier League 2 with the under-21s, plus UEFA Youth League action for the U19s, rather than an immediate first-team leap.

Two names stand out as realistic candidates for senior involvement: Will Wright and Kieran Morrison. Wright has impressed enough to be in the conversation, while Morrison, now 19 and fresh from signing a new deal in the summer, already has two senior appearances to his name. Both could feature in the League Cup squad in September.

New 18-year-old centre-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe will also have chances to catch the eye on tour. For him and the others, this is about planting a seed in Iraola’s mind, not demanding a starting spot in August.

Right-Back and Djed Spence: An Expensive Mismatch

Right-back is where things get awkward. Scott asked whether Liverpool might move for Djed Spence. The short answer: it doesn’t fit.

Iraola has been clear that Conor Bradley is his first choice in that position. The problem? Bradley is still months away from returning. Jeremie Frimpong is next in line, but he’s a far more natural attacker than defender and has already shown a tendency to pick up knocks since arriving last summer.

Last season, Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo all filled in at right-back at various points. Gomez is now needed primarily at centre-back. Endo is still working his way back to full fitness. Jones and Szoboszlai are midfielders by trade, not long-term solutions out wide in defence.

The ideal fix looks different to Spence. Liverpool would prefer either a centre-back who can also operate at right-back or a specialist right-back on a season-long loan. They do not want to spend heavily on a player they accept will not be a regular once Bradley is fit again.

There’s another wrinkle: Bradley’s own injury record as a professional has been patchy, which has to factor into any decision. But even with that in mind, Spence doesn’t tick the boxes. He would be expensive, and his profile doesn’t match the “cover plus versatility” template the club seem to favour.

And there’s a final warning note echoing around the recruitment department: never buy a player purely off the back of a strong World Cup. Liverpool have been burned by that logic before. They won’t make the same mistake at right-back now.

Liverpool’s summer, then, is less about one grand signing and more about threading several needles at once: replacing Salah’s goals, protecting Isak, easing in youth, and preparing for a likely change of sporting director.

The tour in America will end. The Premier League will start. The real question is whether the squad that walks out on opening day looks ready for Iraola’s first season – or still one or two hard decisions short.