Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has admitted that it will be harder for the club to defend its Premier League title in the upcoming season. Slot said they are ready for the forthcoming edition and would want to tick the right boxes.
The Reds will begin their title defense against Bournemouth on Friday at their home ground, Anfield.
Liverpool had won the previous season with a 10-point margin, confirming their title four games to spare. This was Slot’s first season in charge, and he was able to deliver after taking over the baton from Jurgen Klopp.
During the off-season, players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Núñez, Luis Día,z and Caoimhín Kelleher have parted ways with the club whereas Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Hugo Ekitike have joined Slot’s team.
“In preseason, it’s normal there is some room for improvement,” Slot said.
“We’ve not only lost three or four starters, we’ve lost five or six players that played a lot of minutes for us last season and then we brought in new players, so it’s normal there’s a little bit of adaptation. We are definitely ready for the league to start.
“There are so many competitors who can win the league over here. To win it once is already very special, let alone if you can win twice in five years like us or like Manchester City, who did even better.
“That’s unbelievable if you’re able to do this in this league. Probably this year it is going to be harder than every year before because every team brings in new players but our main competitors definitely did as well.”
It is reported that Liverpool has agreed a deal to sign Parma centre-back Giovanni Leoni for £26 million ($35m) plus add-ons.
On Leoni, Slot said: “The clubs have agreed a deal, but he hasn’t signed for us yet, so the moment when he signs for us, I can go into more detail. The other one [Guéhi] is the answer you always get from me. He’s not our player, and unfortunately, he was the captain of the team we lost against last Sunday.
“If you want to have any talks about him, you should go to the Palace.”
Liverpool would look to come up with a collective show in the upcoming season.
