Danny Murphy names Kvaratskhelia and van de Ven as dream signings

Just twelve months ago, Arne Slot was toasted as the man who had sustained Jurgen Klopp’s dynasty, as he steered the Reds to a Premier League title in the 2024/25 season. However, this campaign has seen the reigning champions spiral into a season of mediocrity, as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City engage in a two-horse race for the crown, whilst the Reds find themselves in fourth place.

The root of the regression appears to be a summer of upheaval that left the squad thin on experience and leadership. For Danny Murphy, a man who knows the weight of the red shirt intimately, the current malaise will need to be addressed this summer. He spoke to AceOdds about key areas of the pitch that the club will need to hone in on this summer if they are to compete for major honours next season.

Is Micky van de Ven the defensive anchor Liverpool need?

Anfield was once the impenetrable fortress of Liverpool. The home stadium that no one wanted to visit. The arena that Liverpool thrived in making 90 minutes of football hell for their opponent. However, that aura and feeling of invincibility has crumbled this season and it’s heavily impacted the team.

With a shortage of recovery pace in defence, Liverpool have looked vulnerable in transitions and on the counter-attack. Their lack of depth beyond Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk has only added to those concerns. With Tottenham Hotspur currently locked in a desperate battle to avoid relegation, Danny Murphy believes the answer to the Reds’ defensive frailties could be found in North London, in the form of a certain Dutch international.

“I think he (Micky van de Ven) ticks the boxes. I think obviously he's a wonderful athlete, good footballer. Adaptable as well, he can play left-back, left wing-back, he's played different positions for his national team. He's big, he's got presence, he's got Premier League experience.”

Despite the chaos currently engulfing Tottenham, the former midfielder is adamant that Liverpool should not be put off by van de Ven’s recent flashes of frustration. Those include his public exchange with former manager Thomas Frank after being substituted, alongside his red card in Tottenham’s 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace. Murphy believes those incidents are situational, driven more by the turmoil around the club than by any deeper concern, and should not deter Anfield’s recruitment team.

“I think the rare moments of call it bad attitude or ill-discipline, if you like, that have come are probably linked to the horrendous, chaotic situation Spurs are in. Very rarely do we see him lose his head. He's generally been pretty well-behaved and conducted himself pretty well.”

However, the 2001 UEFA Cup winner did express one caveat regarding the defender’s fitness record, which has been patchy since his arrival in England.

“My only slight concern with van de Ven is his injury record. I don't think he's played a full-season yet and what you want at the back is durable players who can build relationships.”

“But in terms of his ability, he'll be on the radar. There's a lot of good centre-halves out there. I think especially with his pace and physicality, I think if you're going to play front-foot football and go at teams, you need centre-halves who are quick and can recover and he's one of the best, in terms of his recovery, out there.”

Life after Mohamed Salah

The most significant tremor felt at Anfield this year is the impending departure of Mohamed Salah. With the Egyptian’s prolific era coming to a close with betting sites believing his next destination will be in Saudi Arabia, the club faces the terrifying prospect of replacing someone who has proven more than capable of scoring thirty goals a season. Murphy suggests that a "moneyball" approach of splitting the output between multiple players might be the only logical path forward.

“It is a difficult one, because no one is going to come in and hit Salah's numbers. I think that is going to be impossible. So, you would have to replace the numbers with maybe two players instead of one.”

In terms of raw talent, the pundit has pointed toward Ligue 1 for a potential successor, specifically PSG’s talismanic winger in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is arguably in the best form of his career. He displayed a Man of the Match winning performance against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, scoring two goals in a 5–4 Champions League semi-final first-leg thriller.

“When you are Liverpool Football Club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, you have to go out and try to get the best players. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is probably the best right sided player in world football right now. Could they tempt him? Maybe not, but we have seen many times that the best players want to play in the best league in the world and in one of the biggest clubs.”

“I would be trying to go for someone like him. Maybe he won't score the same amount of goals as Mohamed Salah, but you know he is not going to fail. He is that good, he really is.”

Should the pursuit of a global superstar falter, RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande represents the high-upside alternative. While the nineteen-year-old is a "super talent," the former England international warns that the Anfield crowd would need to show patience.

“If they can't get him and they go more down the route of getting younger players with potential, then Yan Diomande is a good option. He is a super talent. He is direct, he is quick, he can play on both sides. I think the Liverpool fans would be excited for that deal, but the problem is that players like that can take some time to adjust and integrate to the group.”

“It is going to be fascinating to see how they will cope with that, because Salah is obviously leaving the biggest hole, even though he is actually one of the reasons why it hasn't been good this season. Normally, the club could rely on him to score 30-40 goals, whatever it is, so that will be a very interesting journey for Liverpool. My gut feeling is they will probably bring in two players. One who is a bit younger and then one established player.”

Interestingly, the established name that continues to resurface is West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen. Despite not being a typical wonderkid or star name, Murphy argues his reliability makes him a perfect fit for a team in desperate need of stability and guaranteed quality.

“Probably, the one player in the Premier League, I could see, if West Ham were to go down, is Bowen. I think he is good enough to embrace playing Champions League football and embrace playing at a bigger club. I don't think he would struggle with the adaptation.”

“He scores goals, he is a threat and he plays a lot of games. He is experienced as well, the only problem is that his profile with his age is not really what Liverpool do.”

“But Bowen is the one standout right-sided player from the Premier League, who I think you can pick up, put him in and let him go.”

The alternative in Francisco Conceição

The links to Francisco Conceição of Juventus add another layer to the rebuild as the Portuguese winger offers a different profile to anyone currently in the Liverpool squad and Murphy notes that any new arrivals must be weighed against the progress of the club's own burgeoning stars.

“Diomande can also play on the left. Conceição is a bit different isn't he? He's more of a technical, skilful player. He's quite sharp, he's not quick. Diminutive, great low centre of gravity, beats people, got a good eye for a pass. He'd be another welcome addition who'd get fans off their seats. He'd be another player they'd enjoy watching.”

“Also, you have to take into account, when you're talking about bringing in two wingers. Is Gakpo gonna stay, cause we've already got Isak, we've already got Ekitike. You don't want to stifle Ngumoha's rise.”

The ultimate challenge for the board remains the financial and personnel jigsaw puzzle. With Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) tightening and question marks over the futures of Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones, the coming months will define the club for years to follow.

“It's a really difficult one and also with PSR and what Liverpool spent last year, the numbers this year have got to be balanced. Depending on what happens with Konate, they might need just one centre-half. I know they signed Jacquet from Rennes. There's other areas of the pitch that might need strengthening. Is Mac Allister gonna go, is Curtis Jones going to leave? All these jigsaw puzzles they have to try and put together.”

“The Salah conundrum is the one they need to fix more urgently because they know he's going. Some of the other ones we're talking about, we don't know for sure whether they're staying or going. It will be fascinating.”

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