Liverpool

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We asked you whether or not Arne Slot needs to bring in reinforcements this summer, after former Liverpool forward John Barnes said the Dutchman doesn't need to bolster his Premier League winning side too much.

Here are some of your replies:

Pat: Liverpool definitely need to do some business this summer, but it needs to be sensible. We need a centre-forward who can score goals and stay fit (sorry Jota) and a new left-back. The most important thing though is to give games to the talented young players at the club already. The likes of Elliott and Bradley need to be playing football every week, not moving further down the pecking order to accommodate new signings.

Paul: I love John Barnes as a player, but I have never been on the same page with him regarding his thinking. We don't need major team surgery but we should recruit now for the future, if the right players are available. I have no doubt Liverpool will do this for next season. Superstars? No. What will turn out to be super players? Yes.

Andy: I love big John Barnes but he is wrong on this one. You always strengthen from a position of power. We didn't do so adequately after 2019-20 and it set us back half a decade. New signings are must if we are to kick on.

Jason: He is exactly right. We can buy one or two players, but we don't need to break the bank. We can leave that for the others to try and catch up.

Liam: I agree with Barnes. They have just won the biggest league on the planet with weeks still left remaining. I think they will be alright next season...

Ken: I love John Barnes but I couldn't disagree more with him on this. Liverpool must not squander the opportunity to strengthen while at the top. It was apparent that the squad required a little bit more depth when exiting the Champions League and losing in the League Cup final. It won't be too long before the cornerstones of the last two title wins will need replacing so it's better starting now. Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, Ederson (of Atalanta) and Nico Williams would represent a statement of intent.

Mark: New blood in the team creates competition for the other players. If Slot rests on his laurels the established players could become complacent. Hopefully they can get Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth and Dean Huijsen – he's a fantastic talent who reminds me of Alan Hansen. He could also play the holding mid-field role so Gravenberch gets a rest. Alexander Isak would be a great addition to any team but I feel he's being priced out of a move. Need to keep the fire in the belly - Sir Alex Ferguson always refreshed a title winning team.

Anthony: If it's not broken don't fix it. Liverpool already have the players to challenge for major honours next season.

Yusuf: Curtis Jones is the perfect person who can step up - his technical ability is excellent and he has been on the bench in a lot of games this season. Give Jones some more time on the pitch and it will help both him and Gravenberch to develop.

Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

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In the absence of Rodri through injury this season, Alexis Mac Allister just might be.

The Argentine was jaw-droppingly good against Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday, as Liverpool won the title.

Mac Allister played the whole game with a smile on his face. He passed smartly, pressed relentlessly and bullied Spurs, while showing creativity on the ball.

His goal that put Liverpool 2-1 up was the game's most important and best. How could you hit a ball that hard with your wrong foot? It was sensational.

Ryan Gravenberch was Liverpool's best midfielder at the start of the season, but basing it on the whole campaign it has to be Mac Allister. He is not quite as important to the team as Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, but he is pretty close.

In the summer, Liverpool need to sign another midfielder to support Gravenberch as the holding player.

Then, Curtis Jones, Mac Allister and Dom Szoboszlai can share the two positions ahead.

It will be interesting to see what Arne Slot does with Harvey Elliott. The Englishman loves Liverpool and would prefer to stay and win the manager over. but he has not started a Premier League game all season.

Do you agree that the Reds need to sign another midfielder this summer? Who would you be targeting and why? Or is there a player already at the club who can step up? Let us know here

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

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Former Liverpool forward John Barnes does not believe there is a need for Arne Slot to bolster his Premier League winners with new signings this summer.

The Reds secured a record-equalling 20th top-flight title on Sunday with a squad that contained just one summer signing.

That was Federico Chiesa, who has played a total of 33 minutes in the league this season.

"I'm not worried about the summer," said Barnes. "I'm a bit old school in thinking the solution to problems is not just signing players.

"We have won the league comfortably so why do we need to sign players? We have kept the two most important players Virgil (Van Dijk) and Mo (Salah). If we lose Trent (Alexander-Arnold) we've got Conor Bradley, that's fine."

When Jurgen Klopp ended the club's 30-year wait for a title in 2020 he bought Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas and Thiago Alcantara for a combined £73m, but Barnes believes this team can still challenge next season without breaking the bank.

"Other people will catch us but I'd love to stand still because if we do we're still at the top," added Barnes.

"We don't need superstars, we have world-class players all over the pitch as we've shown."

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty disagrees and believes Liverpool will "need new blood" this summer, especially in the full-back positions.

Do you think Slot should be looking to bring in reinforcements? If so, who and why?

Have your say

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Liverpool's Premier League title win has come sooner than anyone expected but now they need "reinforcements" to "keep moving forward", says former midfielder Danny Murphy.

The Reds confirmed their new status as 2024-25 Premier League champions on Sunday and brought boss Arne Slot the title in his first season in charge.

With the stranglehold Manchester City have had on the trophy over recent seasons and Jurgen Klopp's exit, most onlookers did not have Liverpool to be top of the pile this campaign.

"What's happened by winning the league in the first season is he's brought everything forward," Murphy told BBC Sport.

"Liverpool fans always expect to be challenging for the title and the Champions League but this win has brought it all forward much more quickly than anyone anticipated, probably even [Slot] himself.

"Yes, they need reinforcements, they need to keep moving forward, because everyone else is going to try. Especially Arsenal - I think they'll go big in the summer."

Since Slot's arrival in the summer, Liverpool have made just two signings - winger Federico Chiesa and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

With Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk now staying, fans will be hoping the ownership invest over the summer to build on the squad's achievements this campaign.

"I think a centre-half is going to be key and probably a full-back," Murphy said. "If you think of centre-half this season, Virgil [Van Dijk] and [Ibrahima] Konate have been a phenomenal partnership but both very rarely injured.

"The other area of the pitch that's going to be really important is a centre-forward. Although I've complimented [Luis] Diaz and [Diogo] Jota for filling in there at times, I think it looks like Darwin [Nunez] is going to go, so who do they bring in?

"That's going to be the area that I think most fans are excited about seeing who they're going to bring in.

"We talk about crucial positions on the pitch – the spine if you like – centre-back and centre forward are the ones I would really like to see two established players to come in."

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We asked for your views on why you think Liverpool cruised to the Premier League with four games to spare.

Here are some of your comments:

Matt: Slot came in and instead of making wholesale changes, he tweaked a few things that made the team more efficient. He made good players play better and balanced the team well. We have also had great consistency which I think comes from the calmness that Slot brings to Liverpool. There isn't any need to panic and that shows within our style.

Ian: Titles are built on energy swings. This season, Arsenal and Man City never grabbed theirs. Arsenal and Man City never found a psychological edge all season, which meant that the energy and momentum stayed with Liverpool.

Kamal: It's a combination of several inter-related factors: The choice of Arne Slot and the transition, as well as the culture created by Jurgen Klopp and the staff. The tactics to use Ryan Gravenberch in midfield; to allow Mo Salah to focus more on attack; the rise of Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, and the amazing goalkeeping talents of Alisson and Kelleher.

Steve: What has epitomised the season is the willingness of the players to get stuck in when the going gets tough which is where the support of the coaching staff comes in for the players. The measured approach and depth of this squad makes it the best I've seen. It almost feels like the stress of worrying about a win is taken off you as a supporter as this squad nearly always finds a way.

Lee: Jurgen laid the foundations but the team underachieved because of the high energy output. Arne has developed the style and slowed the tempo so picked up less injuries along the way, while finding a way to win most of our matches.

Chappers: Despite comments about it being an easy league, I would argue the opposite. It's been the most competitive league with Forest, Fulham and Bournemouth all raising their game and taking points off the supposed 'big six'. Liverpool have raised their game to compete week in week out while others have dropped points they would normally expect to win.

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton believes Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have been "different class" in Liverpool's run to the Premier League title.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday night club, Sutton said: "I don't think anybody saw him [Gravenberch] playing that deeper midfield role but it's just shown what a talented footballer he is.

"You go back to Liverpool's recruitment and in 2023 all the talk of [Jude] Bellingham coming in, they signed these three [Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai] that summer and they have been the mainstays."

Ex-Reds defender Stephen Warnock agreed and thinks Arne Slot's men have the perfect balance in their midfield.

"When you talk about Mac Allister and Gravenberch, I think they compliment each other so well," he said.

"Gravenberch drives it forward and Mac Allister is more than happy to sit there. He wins the ball back well for such a small player."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club discusses how there was a "real thought process behind the scenes" in Liverpool's transition from Jurgen Klopp to Arne Slot, which culminated in the Reds winning a 20th top-flight title on Sunday.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Mo Salah has signed up again as has Virgil van Dijk and neither appears to have been even slightly diminished by age, judging by my visit to Anfield on Sunday.

The midfield of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch were incredible, both exceptional defensively and offensively - but, more importantly, playing as a duo. They must have been horrible to play against, which is a huge compliment.

Add in Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai, and the average age of the quartet is still under 25. These midfielders are just coming into their prime and are set fair to be the next generation of trophy winners

On top of this, Liverpool will undoubtedly add more quality around them, possibly even a top-level striker, improving them from a side that has romped home as champions by a country mile.

The thing that stays with me is the joy on the face of every fan post-match. How many days can you truly say, with confidence, that you will never forget for the rest of your life?‌

Wherever you travelled from, whatever you paid, if you were in that stadium, it was a day seared in the memory if you were a red.

That is why we love football, every now and again it provides those life-affirming moments - and this was one for every fan, player or worker at that club.

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A league title win like that of Liverpool's this season is always bound to throw up eye-catching numbers and records.

But one quite specific set of numbers as a result of this particular Premier League title will have piqued the interest of mathematicians and numbers fans alike.

By securing this trophy, the Reds have completed the start of an extraordinary mathematical concept that has been 33 years in the making - the Fibonacci sequence.

But what does that mean?

The Fibonacci sequence is a sequence in which each number (after the first two) is the sum of the previous two in the sequence.

By ranking Liverpool alongside the other clubs that have won the Premier League since it was first formed in 1992, listing them by the number of titles won and starting with the lowest, we can see the pattern emerge - 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13.

The reason why this is somewhat remarkable is that this is a sequence that can be found in an astonishing array of places – from the spirals of seeds on sunflower heads and the bracts of pinecones to family tree patterns in some species of animals. For it to crop up in the data on the number of Premier League title wins is surprising, and can lead to questions of whether it is just coincidence or something more.

However, with no plausible mechanism which could have given rise to the sequence, the answer is almost certainly nothing more. A pattern doesn't always mean causality - a coincidence is sometimes just a coincidence.

And so a Fibonacci sequences in the Premier League records is just that – nothing more than a spectacular but ultimately misleading coincidence.

Read more about how Liverpool's title win has completed this mysterious sequence here

Premier League champions Liverpool are set to invest heavily in their squad during the summer, with a centre-forward and left-back their priorities. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Alexis Mac Allister on Instagram after winning his first Premier League title: "I never forget where I come from. From a family that taught me the value of hard work, from dreams born with an Irish surname and a truly Argentine heart.

"And today, from Liverpool, it writes an unforgettable chapter.

"When I joined this club, I knew it was a special place. But what I've experienced this year has gone beyond anything I ever imagined.

"Every training session, every match, every time I stepped onto the pitch at Anfield… I felt the weight of this shirt and the passion of a unique fanbase.

"It took hard work, commitment, giving everything in every moment. Because wearing this shirt isn't for just anyone… and because I've dreamt of this since I was a boy.

"Lifting the Premier League trophy with Liverpool is the dream come true. One that began many years ago, and today becomes reality.

"Thank you to my family, who were always there. Thank you to the club, for believing in me. Thank you to football, for giving me so much. And thank you to all of you, for making it eternal.

"This is Liverpool. This is what it means to be champions."

Luke Reddy
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

A last-minute winner, a comeback, an away day for the ages, a cup win, a league title.

Just some of football's sweetest elements. They do not arrive too frequently, they punctuate a season if you are lucky and yet, though they fleetingly come a fan's way, their memory lasts a lifetime.

Perhaps only one thing can make such moments of joy more significant - who you share them with.

A close friend, a spouse, a family member - a connection can take one's emotion and increase it by orders of magnitude.

Shortly before Liverpool's European Cup win in 2019, fan and renowned Kopite Stephen Monaghan formed part of an emotional video released by the club. In it, he explained such occasions took him to his father's graveside, where he would remember, ponder and wish he could share another day in the sun, another day of shared feeling, another day of being together, with their beloved Reds.

The big occasions crystallise the mind. The hullabaloo of daily life kind of stops because big things do that to you. The subsequent thinking space creates room to consider what those no longer with us would make of it all. What would they say? Could you feel their happiness? What would you give to do so? Such thoughts can be warming and cruel. You want them though, for reasons that run really deep.

Within the sensory overload of fireworks, flares and joy at Sunday's title-clinching day for Liverpool, one fan showed me a bit of what was going on inside.

Supporter Stephen Davies pointed to a bracelet he wore, one sporting an inscription which read 'Redmen gang of four... YNWA'.

He explained his friends Peter Walsh, Larry Snell and Tommy Lawton - all pictured with a young Stephen below - were no longer with us. Time had taken them. Stephen was left with memories of trips around the country and continent with a group of friends who had seen, felt and shared the joys of success and the tragedy of Hillsborough.

I asked him if he would think of them on this day and a subtle nod, illuminated with watery eyes, answered emphatically. They were alive in his thoughts.

There are thousands of Liverpool fans celebrating today and millions who no longer can.

Football, its highs and the human heart have a way of making sure those lost souls live on. What can be more special than that?

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So much has been written already to explain Arne Slot's achievement in leading Liverpool to their first title in five years.

But you know your club best.

So tell us why you think the Reds have cruised to the Premier League with four games to spare.

Submit your suggestions here

(If you can't be bothered, just choose from our selection...)

After Liverpool's Premier League title win was confirmed on Sunday, BBC Sport looks back at five pivotal games in a truly memorable season.

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Wolves 1-2 Liverpool (28 September 2024)

Not the most impressive of performances but a result that defines champions. two weeks after their first defeat of the season at home against Nottingham Forest, Liverpool were pegged back to 1-1 in the second-half but secured a huge win thanks to a Mohammed Salah penalty. It was a win that moved the Reds a point above both Arsenal and Manchester City in the early Premier League table.

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Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea (20 October 2024)

When this game took place, Chelsea were emerging as genuine title contenders, but it was at this point in the season where Liverpool created a foundation that would make them runaway champions. Again, the Reds saw their lead eradicated in the second half but Curtis Jones restored it almost immediately and the celebrations at the end showed the win's importance. It was also a game that made Arne Slot the first Liverpool boss to win 10 of his first 11 matches in charge.

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Liverpool 2-1 Brighton (2 November 2024)

In a crucial three minutes, Liverpool switched this game from 1-0 down at home with 20 minutes to play and potentially relinquishing top spot, to a 2-1 lead and heading to the summit after all. It was the kind of comeback that truly has an Anfield assist as quickfire goals from Cody Gakpo and Salah secured a huge win, made all the more significant by Manchester City's loss to Bournemouth on the same day.

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Brentford 0-2 Liverpool (18 January 2025)

The game which made many Liverpool fans truly believe they could do it. The Reds had drawn their first two matches of 2025 and it looked more than likely to become three heading into stoppage time before the much-maligned Darwin Nunez had his moment of glory, scoring two in stoppage time in front of a raucous away end. It extended their lead to six points with a game in hand. The gap has only got bigger since.

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Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool (23 February 2025)

This win secured Liverpool's first league double over Manchester City since Jurgen Klopp's first campaign in charge in 2016, and illustrated the chasm that has grown between the sides. This was a ruthless, peerless display, condensing the Reds' dominance of this season's Premier League into 90 minutes.

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Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy says Ibrahima Konate's contract "needs sorting out" given the impact he and Virgil van Dijk have had at the heart of Liverpool's defence.

On Match of the Day 2, Murphy said: "There was a lot of talk about Gabriel and William Saliba for a couple of seasons but these two have matched them this season.

"Look at the numbers when they play together compared to when they don't. It really is stark.

"We don't want to be in the same position next summer, Konate has only got a year left so that needs sorting out."

The pair have started together in the Premier League ten more times so far this season than last. Liverpool's points per game is up from 2 to 2.4 and their win percentage is up from 59 to 74.

Earlier this season Konate missed six games with a knee injury. During that time Liverpool shipped nine goals. The Reds drew two of those games - 3-3 at Newcastle and 2-2 at home to Fulham. They did win the other four - one of which was the 6-3 at Tottenham.

Former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given agreed with Murphy's assessment: "On the back of a brilliant season, you have to tie him [Konate] down. You would imagine Van Dijk as well will be in Konate's ear, saying this could be the start of something major at the club."

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Alex Turk
Manchester United fan writer

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As I sit here with a stern look, a slight headache and a clenched fist, I will find my professional hat and reluctantly pen this.

There is a deep hatred between Manchester United and Liverpool. It is unavoidable and what makes a great rivalry tick. But so does mutual respect and that comes naturally to two clubs so far above everyone else on the ladder.

So, congratulations, Liverpool. It took you long enough.

It has been 12 years of miserable decline since Sir Alex Ferguson completed his mission and took your perch but you finally got there.

And how poetic? In the background of Liverpool's most memorable Premier League campaign, United are suffering through their worst.

Arne Slot's side, filled with some of Europe's best-paid but finest players, are worthy champions. They are also England's most successful club - that debate is over for now.

But that does not make them the biggest. The infinite global interest in the events at Old Trafford speaks for itself.

And while Liverpool have been fortunate that the Glazers have let United rot across the last decade, there is a new ambitious tenant wearing the pants.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made the end game of his passion project clear. His band of brothers have already lit the beacons through their ruthless streak of decisions at the helm.

This is no longer a craving for corporate supremacy. It's a football-focused quest for the restoration of order - and greatness.

The sight of Liverpool drawing level on 20 English titles hours after United could barely draw against Bournemouth will only fuel the fire.

So it might feel like it, looking at the table. But United are not in freefall anymore.

Enjoy the glory while you can. This sleeping giant will not be in its slumber for another 12 years.

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Liverpool have confirmed the victory parade for their 20th league title will take place on Monday, 26 May.

The celebration will come a day after the Reds officially lift the Premier League trophy at home to Crystal Palace on the final day of the 2024-25 season on Sunday, 25 May.

Beginning at 14:30 BST, the route will be the same as it was in 2019 and 2022, beginning at Allerton Maze in the south of the city and finishing at Blundell Street, taking around three to five hours.

The club are advising supporters to line the whole 15km route and plan their travel in advance.

Amid the ongoing celebrations of a 20th league title, it is easy to forget that nobody was tipping Liverpool to be Premier League champions this season.

In fact, not one of 30 BBC pundits asked thought they would or could win it.

Jurgen Klopp's departure last summer came as shock to almost everyone and many predicted a Klopp shaped hole to be exposed in the Reds this campaign.

That wasn't people overreacting either because Klopp won it all during his nine years at Liverpool, and as history has proven when Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger left Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, it is hard to just move on.

But move on they have.

Slot has made the so-called transition period look easy and with four games to spare, he has proved everyone wrong.

"The club is in good hands," said Klopp on Slot's appointment last April. "People might worry about the future but I'm not."

The phrase 'I told you so' springs to mind.

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Former Liverpool midfielder Bolo Zenden says Arne Slot turned around criticism with "beautiful football" and "charisma". He is delighted that everybody now sees what the boss can achieve.

"I think no one expected him to actually do what he did with his staff and his players," Zenden told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"In the beginning people were thinking someone's coming in from the Mickey Mouse league and what's he going to do at Liverpool? Very soon he turned around the criticism with beautiful football, with charisma and I think everybody now sees what he's capable of doing. The most interesting thing is probably still to come.

"I'm sure he's not going to sit still. It's strange to talk about when you've just won the league but I'm sure that in the back of his mind he's already planning for next season."