Liverpool need major surgery this summer and it won’t come cheap. The problems are glaring

So much for Liverpool having turned a corner.

The hope provided by an impressive Champions League triumph over Marseille in midweek was whipped away by a dismal Premier League defeat at the hands of Bournemouth. One step forward, two steps back.

This was another act of self-sabotage for their collection as Arne Slot’s side rallied from 2-0 down to restore parity, only to capitulate late on when Amine Adli bundled home the winner from a long throw-in.

It’s the fifth time this season Liverpool have conceded a result-defining goal deep into stoppage time, with a total of seven points frittered away. How costly they could prove to be.

There was alarming regression in all departments on the south coast. An unconvincing 13-game unbeaten run had been built on greater defensive solidity, but twice in the space of seven first-half minutes, they were undone far too easily.

Captain Virgil van Dijk’s careless error was punished by Evanilson, and then Alex Jimenez cashed in on Milos Kerkez’s failure to track his run as Van Dijk played him onside. How naive they were not to kick the ball out of play when down to 10 men as Wataru Endo waited to replace the injured Joe Gomez.

What was just as concerning was how little fluency and creativity there was going forward, especially given Slot couldn’t blame his nemesis, the low block, with the contest so open. Both their goals came from set pieces, with Van Dijk’s header from a corner just before the break, followed by Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning strike after Mohamed Salah had rolled a free kick into his path.

The visitors had 73 per cent possession in the second half, but before Szoboszlai scoring with 10 minutes to go, they hadn’t mustered a single attempt on target since the interval.

Liverpool have taken just four points out of a possible 15 (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

How Liverpool squandered momentum at 2-2. Rather than kick on, they wilted. Having lost their shape and their composure, they were fortunate not to concede before Adli finally settled it. Winless in five league matches so far in 2026, the champions have taken just four points out of a possible 15. Pressure and scrutiny have once again been cranked up.

“We had a few players who ran out of energy,” Slot said. “I cannot even criticise them for that because two days ago we had an away game in Europe. I mainly, as you see, play the same players because of the players we have available.”

For context, Bournemouth had won just one of their previous 14 games and have a lengthy list of injuries, which includes Justin Kluivert, David Brooks, Ben Gannon-Doak, Marcus Tavernier and Tyler Adams, and have just sold star man Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City.

Slot talked about “dominating” long periods, but the depleted hosts had more shots on target (five vs four), a higher xG (2.35 vs 0.93) and created six big chances as defined by Opta compared to one for the visitors.

What a mess that Liverpool spent most of the second half with their best midfielder in Szoboszlai playing right-back and a rusty holding midfielder in Endo at centre-back.  That record-breaking £450million spending spree last summer was supposed to deliver a revamped squad equipped to deliver on all fronts, but the gaps are currently glaring.

Yes, there’s been plenty of misfortune. Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley both suffered season-ending knee injuries, while record signing Alexander Isak is out until at least March with a broken leg. Federico Chiesa is also currently sidelined with a muscle problem.

Liverpool have been walking a defensive tightrope since Leoni was injured in September, so reliant are they on the centre-back pairing of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, given Gomez’s Anfield career has been littered with injury setbacks.

However, the transfer strategy also has to be questioned because they could have taken decisive action to strengthen the squad this month. They could have rivalled Manchester City for Marc Guehi’s signature, but decided the overall cost of the deal was prohibitive.

With Konate absent for the second successive game on compassionate leave following the death of his father, Gomez’s first league start at centre-back since December 2024 was cut short after a painful collision with Alisson. Endo, who had played just 43 minutes of league football all season, found himself thrown into the back line alongside Van Dijk.

“Now? Are we now short? That’s your opinion,” Slot said bluntly when asked about his depleted defensive ranks as he side-stepped talk about needing reinforcements. If Endo is needed to play at centre-back in the coming months, then Liverpool will be in serious trouble.

Slot has regularly commented on the size of his squad compared to some of his rivals, but it was a collective recruitment decision to spend £241m on two marquee signings last summer rather than spread that money around on more deals.

The Dutch head coach bemoaned fatigue and a lack of options on Saturday, but he didn’t have to retain 10 of the 11 who started in Marseille. Recalling Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones would have made sense. When he felt the need to take off the tiring Jeremie Frimpong, he could have brought on Calvin Ramsay rather than move Szoboszlai there.

But part of the issue with the depth of the squad is that Slot is so reluctant to turn to certain personnel on the fringes. There’s a lack of trust and that leads to some regulars being overworked.

Tottenham Hotspur are working on a deal to sign Andy Robertson (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Not for the first time, young left-winger Rio Ngumoha should have replaced the ineffective Cody Gakpo much earlier. With Salah’s barren spell for Liverpool stretching to eight appearances after a below-par display, there are deficiencies down both flanks.

Given Robertson’s outstanding service over the past eight and a half years, it’s understandable that Liverpool would listen to Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in signing him this month. The Scotsman, who is out of contract this summer, wants to be playing regularly ahead of the World Cup.

However, sporting director Richard Hughes also has to seriously question whether they can afford to weaken this group further by losing their vice-captain for the sake of a few million pounds. What’s best for the club has to come first. Kerkez has improved significantly, but Saturday was a reminder that he’s still far from the finished product.

Selling Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas returning from his loan at Roma as cover is one possible outcome, but there’s a reason Liverpool offloaded the Greek left-back in the first place and why he’s been unable to become a regular in Italy.

With Konate a free agent in the summer and question marks over the futures of players such as Salah, Chiesa and Gomez, more major surgery will be required this summer, and it won’t come cheap.

Liverpool can lift the mood by securing their passage to the last 16 of the Champions League when they face Qarabag at Anfield on Wednesday.

They have largely been a different proposition in Europe, but a torrid sequence of domestic results has exposed frailties and turned a doomed title defence into a dogfight to retain their status among the continent’s elite. Considering the business they need to do, missing out on those riches would have far-reaching implications.