Liverpool's Summer Transfer Dilemma: Wharton, Barcola, and Trent's Role
Liverpool’s summer debate is raging on multiple fronts: midfield legs, wide firepower, Trent’s role, and even an unlikely shout from Naples. The voices are loud, and many of them are coming from people who know the game inside out.
MacAnthony’s Wharton plea
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony, a Liverpool supporter and never shy with an opinion, has nailed his colours to one transfer mast: Adam Wharton.
"I'd love them to sign Wharton," he told talkSPORT, before turning the spotlight on Alexis Mac Allister’s engine. "I think Alexis Mac Allister, for me, his legs were gone last year. It was only when he put an Argentina shirt on that his legs reappeared."
MacAnthony went further, hinting at a changing of the guard in Liverpool’s midfield if the numbers add up.
"If you could do business there with him going, I think you bring [Wharton] in and you’ve got a player for the next seven, eight years that will be a starter.
He's got so much upside and potential in him. Even if he costs £85M-£100M or whatever else, you’re getting the player for the long-term."
A bold valuation. But that’s the kind of fee Liverpool have already shown they are prepared to navigate for the right profile in the middle of the pitch.
Barcola, Salah and a reshaped front line
Out wide, the conversation is just as fierce. Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith believes Liverpool would be getting an ideal fit if they can prise Bradley Barcola away from PSG.
"He's played on the left for PSG," Smith said. "He can play on the right, so it's not as if you would earmark him as a like-for-like replacement for Mohamed Salah.
But it looks like he's going to move if PSG can accept a fee. It seems to be between Liverpool and Arsenal. He's a talented player; we saw that in the World Cup. He'd be a great signing for Liverpool."
Speaking to Liverpool.com on behalf of Best Betting Sites, Smith underlined the scale of the task facing Liverpool if Salah departs.
"With Salah going, a like-for-like replacement in terms of goal output is a priority," he said.
Then came a twist. Smith floated an internal solution to the goals problem, pointing to Alexander Isak’s sharpness and Florian Wirtz’s growing influence.
"But the thing is, with Alexander Isak back fit, Hugo Ekitike is going to be out for a few months, but Isak got himself a goal the other day in pre-season, so he's well capable of getting 20 plus league goals.
So that might be an answer for them with Salah going. And Florian Wirtz, second season, he can chip in, get well into double figures. But I'd still think that they'll be after a striker or an attacking player."
The message is clear: even with emerging scorers, Liverpool cannot afford to drift into a post-Salah era without serious attacking reinforcement.
Trent, Dumfries and Mourinho’s puzzle
At right-back, the landscape has shifted. With Denzel Dumfries heading to Real Madrid, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s path to minutes in that position is suddenly more crowded at the very top of the European game.
Speculation in Spain has suggested Jose Mourinho could move Alexander-Arnold into midfield, tapping into a long-running debate around his best role. The problem? Midfield is already stacked with options.
Yet the verdict on Trent’s status is blunt: he is too good to be squeezed out. One way or another, he will play. A lot. The only real question is where Mourinho decides to drop him on the tactical map.
Gerrard’s phone call that changed a defence
While Liverpool weigh up future moves, Steven Gerrard has lifted the lid on a phone call that helped shape the recent past.
The former captain revealed how Virgil van Dijk reached out in 2017 as he agonised between Liverpool and Manchester City.
"He phoned me at the time, actually," Gerrard said. "I knew his agent really well. It was City, Liverpool.
He said to me, ‘I haven’t phoned you to sort of push me one way or the other, because I know which way you’re going to push me. But just tell me a little bit about Liverpool?’"
Gerrard didn’t need a hard sell.
"I just said to him, ‘Look, if it’s about what the clubs stand for and what the clubs are about, you’re wasting your time because I think you already know the answer to that.’
It was an interesting conversation and I was so happy that he chose us."
The rest is well-documented history: a transformed back line and a defensive leader who became the cornerstone of a Champions League and Premier League-winning side.
Meulensteen’s surprise solution: McTominay
From the past to a curveball idea for the present. Former Manchester United assistant coach Rene Meulensteen believes Liverpool should raid Napoli for Scott McTominay.
"McTominay has Gerrard-esque qualities and would suit Liverpool, he's one of those midfielders that can get you goals, now how many of those midfielders are around today?" Meulensteen told Tipman Tips.
He brings physicality, energy, drive, braveness, courage, goals, and makes good box runs.
I've been very impressed with him since he left United because that could have easily been the start of his career fizzling out. But with Scott it’s the total opposite, he has bloomed and come to life."
It is an eye-catching comparison and a provocative suggestion, especially when lined up alongside calls for Wharton and the ongoing discussion over Liverpool’s midfield balance.
Quiet kick-off, loud questions
Away from the transfer noise, Liverpool’s preparations continue. The behind-closed-doors clash with Como this weekend will now start half an hour earlier than planned, moving from midday to an 11.30am (UK time) kick-off. The later fixture, open to supporters, remains at 6pm (UK time).
No fans will be allowed in for the first game, but the club will stream it through official channels, another piece of pre-season evidence for a coaching staff juggling big decisions.
Wharton or someone else in midfield. Barcola or a different wide threat. Trent at right-back or in the middle. And somewhere in the middle of it all, a team trying to stay one step ahead in a league that never stops asking the same question: what comes next?
