What happens when you cross the reigning Premier League champions with £252.2 million ($340.5 million) of squad investment?
You get Liverpool.
Just Federico Chiesa was added to a squad expected to drop off after Jürgen Klopp said verabschieden to Anfield to the tune of “Arne Slot, la la, la la la,” in May 2024—the Reds failing to reach the heights of previous seasons once seen gegenpressing teams into submission during cutthroat title races with Manchester City—with many rival supporters undoubtedly thinking “no way will they hit such heights again straight away.”
Fast-forward to May 2025 and it was Slot serenading supporters to “Jürgen Klopp, la la, la la la,” hoisting aloft the Premier League trophy in front of fans who were resigned to watching their team climb the mountain through TV screens because of lockdowns five years prior. Cinema personified… except for the mixed reception to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure. That got edited in post. Social media posts to be specific.
Yet, as much as it might seem a fairy tale story only told on the big screen, it was real life and the sequel is coming right up. The budget is bigger, the expectations are greater and there’s a franchise waiting to be capitalised on.
