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Liverpool’s summer of big spending is not yet proving a guarantee of success for the Reds on the pitch.Having signed five potential new starters during the off-season, it was arguably always going to take time for everything to settle.Nevertheless, while the quality of the new signings is not in any doubt, the worry for fans is coming in the fact that the plan is very hard to see at Liverpool right now.The main issue is in the final third, where the additions of Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz are beginning to look more than a little muddled.Liverpool may have been planning for Mohamed Salah’s exit when signing the three players, but for the moment things are not clicking.As Rousing The Kop exclusively reported on Friday, there is a chance Salah leaves Liverpool next summer. If he does, we may get a clearer picture of Arne Slot’s plan for his forward line.
But if the Reds swoop to replace Salah with Michael Olise – as has been reported that they might – things will be even more unclear.Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty ImagesLiverpool must stay away from Michael OliseIt is possible that Slot is still building his front line around Salah. However, for our money, the plan looks like being to play Wirtz in behind a front two of Ekitike and Isak.That would get the best out of all three players while also allowing Liverpool’s best midfield of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister to play as well.READ MORE: David Ornstein issues update on Liverpool’s Marc Guehi pursuit and reveals January plansIn this scenario, there is no room for a right – or left – sided forward.
That is very much what Olise is, and no matter how tempting a big move may be for Liverpool, they should resist.There have been claims that Liverpool are positioning themselves for an assault on Olise, but in the context of their current forward options, that would make little sense.The 23-year-old would not come cheap at all, and there have even been suggestions that Liverpool could splurge £129m to land Olise from Bayern Munich.Having reshaped their attack to the tune of around £300m already, Liverpool must wait for the players to find their rhythm together and then let them stick to it. They do not need to throw another expensive addition into the mix.Do Liverpool even need another attacker?If Salah ultimately stays until the end of this contract in 2027, then any talk of Olise joining next summer should be laughed away.The one scenario in which a move for the former Crystal Palace wideman makes sense, however, is if Slot does work out a system that gets the best out of Salah, Ekitike, Isak and Wirtz.If the Liverpool head coach can do that, then perhaps Olise could come onto the agenda in 2027.With Salah almost certain to be leaving that summer, Olise would be arguably the most natural like-for-like replacement on the planet.But if, as looks more likely, Slot already has his post-Salah options in place, there is simply no need for Liverpool to go big on another attacker.