In the wake of tragedy, can Liverpool win a second straight Premier League title?

A immense unreality hangs implicit Anfield, and the rubric triumph for Liverpool has for present been forgotten. There is lone the symptom of losing a beloved player successful Diogo Jota successful specified horrific circumstances.

His No. 20 garment is being retired crossed each teams and levels wrong the club, and his teammates volition find it hard to header erstwhile they look astir the dressing country to spot his aged locker empty. He was a newlywed begetter of 3 beauteous children. His decease and that of his brother, André Silva, is an unspeakable calamity felt passim the full community, adjacent among those of america who lone described his galore goals successful the media. Yet somehow, Liverpool bash person to worker connected and hole for a caller season, with nary 1 definite however the trauma of losing specified a bully and fashionable subordinate volition impact them. In time, you tin ideate that a feeling of "Let's triumph this rubric again for Diogo" mightiness turn successful the Anfield dressing room.

It volition not beryllium casual for the caller arrivals to commencement their Liverpool careers successful this atmosphere, but they are important additions, arsenic manager Arne Slot's winning battalion from past twelvemonth has been shuffled. Can the Reds clasp their crown?

Liverpool person already spent much than £300 cardinal successful the summertime window, and determination mightiness beryllium much transfers to come. Getting nary encouragement successful a polite enquiry astir Newcastle's superb striker Alexander Isak, the Reds are spending around £80 million to motion Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike, who looks lithe, speedy and lethal with some feet. He is lone 23 and astir apt inactive improving. He scored 22 goals past season, and the interest partially reflects his wide imaginable for the adjacent decade. Clearly, Slot wanted a caller No. 9, truthful Darwin Núñez volition beryllium moved retired if the close connection comes along.

- Will Ekitike beryllium a deed oregon flop? Why he's truthful hard to scout
- How Ekitike ended up astatine Liverpool, and what Reds are getting
- Summer transportation grades: All large deals rated

Also arriving astatine Anfield are the superb young German playmaker Florian Wirtz, his ex-Bayer Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong, and the swift Hungarian near backmost Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth. There mightiness beryllium much to come, with the Reds reportedly chasing Crystal Palace defender and England planetary Marc Guéhi, though a determination for the outstanding young Ajax teen Jorrel Hato is improbable fixed that Chelsea person entered into transportation talks there.

Do these caller signings marque an already beardown Liverpool broadside adjacent stronger? How bash the caller players acceptable in? Who mightiness suffer their place? And however overmuch volition they miss Trent Alexander-Arnold present that he's taken his laser-guided passing to Real Madrid?

Wirtz, 22, has looked the implicit bundle with his invention, dribbling quality and oculus for goal. Last season, helium scored 10 goals and had 14 assists successful the Bundesliga and notched six goals successful 9 UEFA Champions League appearances. Add to that an ego-free approach, and you ideate him fitting successful good astatine Anfield -- though determination mightiness beryllium a settling-in play arsenic helium adapts to the rhythms of the Premier League. Conventional reasoning is that Wirtz volition beryllium utilized arsenic a No. 10 successful Slot's 4-2-3-1 formation. That would endanger the spot of Dominik Szoboszlai, who would scarcely merit the demotion aft his all-action contributions for overmuch of past season.

Intriguingly, determination is simply a mode for Slot to support Szoboszlai successful the squad by utilizing Wirtz arsenic a floating No. 9, overmuch successful the mode that Liverpool erstwhile utilized Roberto Firmino. Paris Saint-Germain usage Ousmane Dembélé successful a akin manner with large occurrence -- truthful overmuch truthful that the France guardant is arguably the front-runner for this year's Ballon d'Or. In this scenario, the versatile Wirtz would beryllium scoring oregon creating chances with Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo oregon Szoboszlai connected either broadside of Wirtz successful a fluid beforehand four. However, the signing of Ekitike suggests immoderate experimentation with Wirtz would beryllium a backup option, with the German much often deployed arsenic a No. 10.

Last season, Liverpool were apical scorers successful the league with 86 goals, and Wirtz volition apt adhd to that potency. Harvey Elliott, torchbearer successful England's Euro U21 triumph with 5 goals, could spell soon to West Ham oregon Brighton, but volition beryllium looking for much first-team enactment if helium remains astatine Anfield. In the midfield, it's hard to ideate that Slot would deviate overmuch from his established duo of Ryan Gravenberch, a revelation successful the No. 6 relation past season, and Alexis Mac Allister, with Wataru Endo providing cover.

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'ESPN FC' unit clash connected Liverpool signing Hugo Ekitike

Steve Nicol and Frank Leboeuf disagree connected however Hugo Ekitike mightiness acceptable successful the Premier League.

Liverpool's defence is much of a talking constituent particularly successful the fullback positions, wherever Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson person been a changeless menace for respective seasons. Alexander-Arnold has gone portion Robertson, who mislaid signifier past play astatine times, turned 31 successful March. It looks similar Frimpong volition beryllium Slot's starting close back, though helium often featured arsenic much of a close winger successful a good vocation arsenic a Leverkusen "Invincible," truthful it is imaginable that the much defensively minded Conor Bradley mightiness beryllium preferred for immoderate pugnacious distant assignments. On the near side, Kerkez was outstanding for Bournemouth, but needs to beryllium helium tin chopped it successful a much demanding situation with higher expectations. The Hungarian is adventurous successful attack, but Slot volition request him to beryllium arsenic adept arsenic a defender.

Having 2 offensively minded fullbacks heaps plentifulness of enactment connected halfway backs Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk erstwhile the absorption counterattacks. Liverpool look a small bladed successful this area, with Jarell Quansah leaving for Leverkusen and Joe Gomez being injury-prone. Hence the pursuit of Crystal Palace's Guehi and, previously, Hato, who's been successful Ajax's squad since helium was 16 and has already made 29 European appearances.

Behind that defense, Alisson remains 1 of the world's apical keepers, and Giorgi Mamardashvili of Georgia looks an capable deputy. Remember his heroics astatine past year's Euros? All successful all, Liverpool are good equipped to equine a precise beardown defence of a title.

What astir the different contenders? Viktor Gyökeres volition springiness Arsenal, who finished 10 points down Liverpool successful second, the out-and-out scoring No. 9 they request -- erstwhile they reason this long-overdue transportation saga -- and Noni Madueke tin beryllium unsafe from either wing. The brace volition supply much attacking menace for a squad that had the champion defence past season.

Manchester City, contempt their shocking exit astatine the hands of Al Hilal astatine the Club World Cup, volition surely bounce backmost aft past season's autumn from grace. Rodri's instrumentality successful midfield is crucial, and a stagnating squad has been refreshed with Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki. More additions could follow.

Chelsea, with the unsafe Cole Palmer and with Moisés Caicedo present a large beingness successful cardinal midfield, could get progressive astatine the apical arsenic their youngsters mature and jell into a much accordant unit.

It's hard to spot immoderate different clubs being successful genuine rubric contention, and though predictions are risky earlier the summertime concern is complete, Liverpool are rightly favorites to clasp their crown, a feat they person not achieved since reeling disconnected 3 successful a enactment successful the aboriginal 1980s.

But immoderate happens, it pales successful value compared with the nonaccomplishment of 2 brothers mode earlier their time. The sanction of Diogo Jota is enshrined successful Anfield folklore. He volition ne'er beryllium forgotten, and volition beryllium remembered with large affection by each who played alongside him.