Andoni Iraola will have to change two players if Liverpool ignore inflated transfer market
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The ECHO's Liverpool writers assess whether a new midfielder should be on the agenda this summer Liverpool FC correspondent, Ian Doyle Chief Liverpool FC Correspondent and Mark Jones Liverpool Content Editor - Sport05:00, 03 Jul 2026The World Cup maybe in full swing out in the United States, Canada and Mexico but the news cycle of the transfer window churns on without remorse.This week has brought us more news of big fees being spent with Tottenham Hotspur signing Matheus Fernandes of West Ham United and closing in on Sandro Tonali at Newcastle United, at a combined cost of £185m.Those moves follow on from the £116m deal for Elliot Anderson that Manchester City struck with Nottingham Forest in recent days.It's clear, then, that a new midfielder costs a pretty penny in the modern era, specifically for some of the more well-heeled clubs in English football.So, with that in mind, do Liverpool really need a central midfielder themselves this summer?Is there someone they absolutely have to breaking the bank for? Or do they use their funds elsewhere to improve the squad?The ECHO's Liverpool writers assess it in our latest panel debate piece.Paul GorstThe midfielder market has become the Premier League's latest craze in recent days.Not content with making Elliot Anderson another member of the exclusive £100m-player club, English football's spendthrift nature has now seen Sandro Tonali become the eighth person to exchange hands for a nine-figure fee.Anderson - who is now a Manchester City player - and Tonali - who is closing in on a move to Tottenham Hotspur - will join Liverpool duo Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Chelsea pair Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, Arsenal star Declan Rice and Manchester City's Jack Grealish - the first to break that barrier five years ago - as £100m players.In fairness to Tonali, his move from Newcastle to Spurs will only see him become a £100m man if his £7.5m worth of add-ons are unlocked but at that level, what's a few million quid to quibble over, right?It's increasingly obvious the Premier League's biggest clubs are comfortable spending upwards of £100m on the players they think will significantly improve the side but never has that been more apparent after Spurs - a side with successive 17th-place finishes - splashed out the considerable sum this week.
It's an enormous fee for a club without Champions League revenue to prop them up.Throw in the £85m deal for Matheus Fernandes from relegated West Ham United and it's obvious that midfielders now carry a remarkable premium.With respect to Anderson, Tonali and Fernandes - all fine players in their own right - no club is signing a prime Steven Gerrard this summer. So at a time when the Reds have other, more pressing concerns, is targeting someone for the engine room a prudent use of their resources?Mohamed Salah still needs replacing and that's before we even get into the idea of what else might be needed in the forward areas given the uncertainty around Federico Chiesa's future.A right-back is a must and a centre-half might be desirable too.
But he wasn't overly used by Slot and in any case spent a large part of last season injured.And that perhaps exposed what Liverpool need - a proper defensive midfielder to better protect the back four and allow the other midfielders to flourish.New head coach Andoni Iraola consistently used oner in his 4-2-3-1 set-up at Bournemouth, so it would be a surprise if that isn't replicated by the Spaniard.Liverpool, though, have a lot of midfielders in their squad right now and can't really afford another one. The market for them is madness.Liverpool have good midfielders at the club already, and hopefully Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones can all step up a level from last season.