Michael Owen Baffled by Liverpool’s Quiet Transfer Window
Michael Owen does not understand what Liverpool are playing at this summer. Not after losing Mohamed Salah. Not with a new head coach trying to reshape an attack that has lost its reference point.
The former Anfield striker expected noise, speed, a statement. What he sees instead is a club edging through the market and, in his eyes, letting a ready-made solution slip away.
Salah gone, questions left
Salah’s departure, coupled with a long-term injury to Hugo Ekitike, has left Liverpool short in the most unforgiving area of the pitch. The club have moved for Victor Munoz, a £34.5million signing from Osasuna to operate from the left, and talks continue with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola, with teenage Champions League winner Ibrahim Mbaye also on the radar.
For Owen, that is not enough – or at least, not the right way round.
Asked if Liverpool’s relative quiet surprised him, he did not hesitate. “Absolutely, yes. Losing Mo Salah and his goals and assists must be a concern right now. Liverpool need to look to add more depth in the forward areas.”
The goals, the relentlessness, the reliability: Salah’s output is almost impossible to replicate. Owen’s argument is simple – if you cannot replace like-for-like, you go for the closest thing you can find in the same league.
The Bowen “trick” Liverpool missed
Owen believes that player was Jarrod Bowen. Relegated with West Ham United, then quickly tied down to a new contract at the London Stadium, Bowen looked to him like the obvious move.
“I would have gone more Jarrod Bowen as one player to come in as I believe he is very talented, Premier League-proven and could have fitted in really well and could have scored plenty of goals,” Owen said.
Liverpool instead are pouring energy into Barcola, a gifted France international with a huge price tag and no Premier League experience. Owen can see the risk and the possible consequences inside the current squad.
“Right now it seems Liverpool are putting all their time in looking to secure Barcola from PSG, although at a huge price tag it may mean that one of the attacking players may have to make way for him to join.
“I expect Liverpool to sign another attacking player as Mo leaves a big void and Liverpool do need to strengthen.”
The pressure to get that next move right is obvious. Lose Salah, miss Bowen, pay big for Barcola – and someone established may have to step aside. It is a delicate equation.
Isak and Wirtz under the spotlight
The scrutiny will not stop at the new arrivals. It will fall heavily on the £100million-plus pair already in the building: Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
Both arrived with huge reputations. Neither delivered a full season that matched the price tag.
Isak endured a brutal campaign, missing four months with a broken leg and fighting to rediscover rhythm in a new environment under Andoni Iraola. Owen knows that sort of injury from the inside.
“He had a tough time last season,” he said. “That kind of injury does take a lot of time to recover from and sometimes you only recover to the player you were, not one that can push on even further.
“But if Isak can find the same form that he did for Newcastle, then he can definitely show his worth for Andoni Iraola.
“He is hugely talented as shown for Newcastle and did look good in the World Cup, so hopefully he can be a top striker next season and score plenty.”
Wirtz, too, is under quiet pressure. The German playmaker’s first season in England never quite caught fire, the adaptation bumpier than many expected. Owen believes that bedding-in period should now be over.
“With (Florian) Wirtz as well now having one season under his belt, we hope he can find good form.”
Between them, Isak and Wirtz are expected to carry a significant share of the creative and goalscoring burden that Salah has left behind. There is no hiding place in that task.
Curtis Jones and the Scouse question
Transfer uncertainty does not end in the forward line. Curtis Jones, in the final year of his contract, sits at a crossroads. Inter have yet to meet Liverpool’s valuation, Galatasaray are watching closely, and the only senior Scouse player in the squad could yet be on his way out.
For Owen, that prospect cuts deeper than a standard sale.
“It’s always nice to have homegrown players playing for Liverpool. The fans feel it when you see local players come through the Academy and shine for the first team,” he told the ECHO.
He knows the weight of that connection. He lived it.
“But look around at other clubs, Jack Grealish came through at Villa and left and got stick, the same with Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool when he left.
“So it’s difficult, but I do have to say, I was a local lad who came through the ranks and played for Liverpool and you could feel it was great.”
Strip away Salah, potentially Jones, and Liverpool risk losing not just goals but a sense of identity that has always mattered on Merseyside.
The window is not closed. Barcola talks continue. Another forward is expected. Isak and Wirtz are under orders to step up. Yet Owen’s unease lingers over it all – a warning that, in a summer when Liverpool needed clarity and conviction, too much still feels like a gamble.
