Arne Slot Delivers Brutally Honest Verdict on Liverpool's Premier League Title Chances
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has acknowledged that his team are considered the frontrunners for this season's Premier League crown, though he emphasized the Reds had already established that position prior to their substantial summer investment.
The Merseyside club have invested heavily during the transfer window to strengthen Slot's roster, securing Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Ármin Pécsi and Freddie Woodman, while also pursuing a major deal for Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak that could make this the costliest transfer period in history.
Though such significant additions certainly boost Liverpool's chances for the 2025–26 championship, Slot argued their relatively modest expenditure in previous campaigns should make that notion irrelevant.
"We're considered favourites because we claimed the title last year and performed exceptionally well, that's obvious," Slot addressed reporters.
"For me, it wouldn't make sense if it were about expenditure, because our net spending compared to other clubs doesn't work in our favour when examining the past two seasons. So if we're only favourites due to our recent spending, I'd find that strange, since we've also sold many players."
When questioned about whether he believes his current squad surpasses the group that secured last season's championship, Slot maintained it's premature to make such an assessment.
"That's something I can only answer on September 1, since the transfer window remains active for another three weeks," he added. "I do believe the players we've acquired have already performed admirably, as anticipated.
"However, I cannot determine now whether these players can maintain that standard every three days. Therefore, we must begin the campaign first [to evaluate].
"And I was aware that Luis Díaz could handle that demand, along with all the others. So that presents another challenge in the Premier League, given our packed fixture list. For Milos Kerkez, this will likely be his first experience at this level playing every three days.
"Florian Wirtz arrives from the Bundesliga, where he was accustomed to competing every three or four days, but we'll need to ask him in two months whether the Premier League's intensity matches the Bundesliga's.
"Regarding the talent and quality we've acquired, we can see we have an excellent squad once again. But we must wait to discover if they'll remain healthy.
"There are numerous variables to consider. I'm extremely pleased with our new signings. However, we've also departed with key players who significantly contributed to last year's title-winning campaign."