The first week of a month-long party will be over by the time Liverpool square up to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Those scenes at Anfield will live long in memory and a Premier League title deserves to be celebrated in full, yet the Reds must return focused on Sunday - their future plans may depend on it.

On Friday morning we were given the biggest hints yet as to what Arne Slot is thinking about the final matches of the season against Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Crystal Palace.



"We are not going to change everyone but there will be a few players who will come into the team.

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Regardless of who plays, how many beverages were sank in the name of a 20th English league title or how many extra days off were allowed after last weekend, changes cannot be taken as permission for players to put their feet up, especially not against Chelsea of all teams.

Slot also made a very interesting point towards transfers as well, stating: "Winning the league, having these fans, this is a big attraction to players we want to bring in and it is definitely helpful."

Directly contesting this notion, according to reports, will be Chelsea with bags of money and willingness to deal out lucrative, long-term contracts to players that meet their policy of recruiting younger talented individuals.

If rumours are to be believed the two clubs will not only come to clash on the field in two days' time but also this summer in the market over Bournemouth central defender Dean Huijsen

They have both earned ties to RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons and most recently speculated upon is Aston Villa playmaker Morgan Rogers.

The Reds cannot escape the fact that their rivals have a greater spending power, even if they themselves are able to throw around their Premier League-winning prowess

We've all seen what happened with Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia two years ago.

So this weekend's mission is to help weaken the Chelsea position and make sure they do not gain additional pulling power for these players - especially Huijsen, who with a £50m release clause will seemingly have freedom to choose his destination.

Enzo Maresca's side sit fifth in the Premier League table with these four matches to go - the lowest they can possible finish to end up in next year's Champions League.

Taking back this status will make them an even more attractive club to sign for, so Liverpool can ensure they do not collect the points required to boost the chances of success.

With fixtures afterwards against top-five competitors Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, all the Reds can then do is hope Chelsea crumble and fall outside of the fold, in theory opening an advantageous gulf between the clubs by the time the market opens.


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