Andoni Iraola doesn't have same Arne Slot Liverpool luxury - and Victor Munoz transfer proves it

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Andoni Iraola doesn't have the same Arne Slot luxury at Liverpool this summer, writes Paul GorstWhen Arne Slot began life at Liverpool two years ago, it was a gentle introduction into the biggest job his career.The Dutchman's contract officially began on June 1 and he immediately took a holiday with his family, spending some time abroad with his wife Mirjam and their children, Isa and Joep.The private advice was that he was about to begin one of the most demanding jobs in world football and having been bequeathed an elite squad - one that was in fact good enough to be champions less than a year later - it was explained how some down-time would be no bad thing before the real work began.The campaign, it was reasoned, would be long, the pressure intense and the demands potentially suffocating if things didn't go well.So with Slot moving to Merseyside alone while his family remained in the Netherlands, he and his loved ones enjoyed a June holiday in Ibiza before the pre-season work began at the AXA Training Centre in July.Given the balanced club and settled squad Slot inherited, a soft launch into the role was permitted. Two years on, the same doesn't really apply to Andoni Iraola, who arrived earlier this month, less than a week after his predecessor was relieved of his duties on May 30.Iraola has a squad that is in need of significant surgery and it was no surprise to hear that one of his first ports of call upon his arrival, which was confirmed on June 4, was to sit down with his recruitment department to talk targets.Two weeks later, a £34.5m deal had been agreed for Osasuna's Victor Munoz and Liverpool have also made clear to RB Leipzig they would be willing to bid up to £86m for Yan Diomande.After failing to land Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, Slot had to wait until after the season had started to sign his first player in Federico Chiesa, whose £12m roll-of-the-dice doesn't appear to have paid off, two years on.Liverpool took "an opportunistic" approach to their targets in 2024, to quote sporting director Richard Hughes, believing the squad in place at the time didn't need massive improvements.Interest in Leny Yoro came and went before he signed with Manchester United and Zubimendi opted to stay with his boyhood club before a cut-price, low-risk gamble was taken on Chiesa.Iraola finds himself with no such luxury this time around, with the Reds squad having lost two legendary figures, in Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, and a France international centre-back who has just turned 27 in Ibrahima Konate."It is a big transfer window for Liverpool on the back of a really, really frustrating season after winning the league," says the Premier League's all-time top scorer, Alan Shearer.

And they can't have a summer where they're then waiting 12 or 18 months for players to settle in."I think for Liverpool, the signings need to hit the ground running and do well from the off, otherwise you know what'll happen."Konate, like many of his colleagues last season, endured a difficult term and it was eye-opening to hear him speak in the close-season about his struggles with depression and the mental toll the death of Diogo Jota had on him at times over the last 12 months.But despite an indifferent term for the les Bleus defender, the fact that Real Madrid promptly snapped up Konate should leave Liverpool in doubt as to the true measure of the centre-back who is leaving the club as a free agent.Iraola will at least find that £60m Jeremy Jacquet can act as cavalry when he joins from Rennes officially on July 1. The Bundesliga club, however, are looking for close to £112m and are keen to tie the Ivory Coast winger down to a new deal.Shearer adds: "Liverpool need a host of players in their forward line because with Salah gone, you are left thinking who have they got."They've got Isak, they've got Wirtz, they've got Ekitike, but he's going to be out and you’ve got Gakpo and Ngumoha.

There's no doubt they'll need another striker in there, and a forward that's ready to go, and ready to come in and score 15 goals."They are linked with Yan Diomande and he's a really talented player. He would add a lot to Liverpool, but what the fee would be, I'm not quite sure."It would obviously be a lot of money, and I guess if they do buy him, then they've watched him several times, so, I think it would be a good buy for them."Iraola, like Slot two years ago, may find that June is the quiet month on the Liverpool calendar.