14 June 2023 , 11:27
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Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has launched an impassioned plea to the club to strengthen their squad this summer.
The Reds are losing four of their first-team squad as free agents this summer. Forward Roberto Firmino is departing Anfield alongside midfield trio Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner, leaving Jurgen Klopp’s options short.
Liverpool have already confirmed the arrival of World Cup-winning midfielder Alexis MacAllister in a £35million transfer from Brighton, but several more are expected in the summer transfer window. It follows a disappointing campaign in which the Reds finished fifth and without a major trophy.
After the Reds came as close as any team ever has to winning a famous quadruple the year before, there was a palpable sense of regression and the need for rejuvenation. The area of midfield needs the closest attention.
Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are now both aged 32, while Fabinho, at 29, looks to be struggling to live up to his early Anfield form and presents a long-term problem which may also need resolving this summer. However, there are other areas of the squad which appear to be short.
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Reds defender Konate, who is currently on international duty with France, has given an interview to RMC Sport this week in which he has underlined the need for Liverpool to strengthen their squad this summer – claiming that it is not strong enough to challenge.
Konate joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 (Getty Images)Have Your Say! Which players should Liverpool sign this summer? Tell us what you think here.
“We have to replace them,” the central defender exclaimed. “If not, what do we do? Do we play with an understaffed squad lacking in quality? You can’t rely on youth at this level. I’m sure the boss and the recruitment team know we need new players.”
It was a clear demand that can be viewed as an attack on the club’s hierarchy, who appear to have left Klopp’s first-team squad short in comparison to domestic and European rivals.
The Frenchman also reflected on the disappointing campaign at Anfield in which they failed to reach the heights of recent years. Alongside not challenging for any major trophies, the Reds also missed out on a top-four spot – meaning they will not be in the Champions League in 2023/24.
“We had a rough start to the season,” added Konate. “We said to ourselves that the Champions League was the goal, and I think we won like ten games from our last 11 matches [the Reds actually won seven from nine].”
Konate then added, when summing up the disappointing campaign and the reality that he and his teammates needed to improve going forwards: “It’s down to us players, we screwed up.”