LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – MAY 25: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, lifts the Premier League trophy, as Liverpool are crowned the Champions of the Premier League for the 2024/25 Season, following the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield on May 25, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images/Getty Images For The Premier League)

Getty Images/Getty Images For The Premier League

Champions of England for a record-equalling 20th time in May, Liverpool could well bring the confetti out again in nine months as they begin the Premier League season firmly as the team to beat.

Predictions are always a fool’s errand, but it feels a fairly safe bet to suggest the Reds could retain their crown and pull one clear of Manchester United’s tally of titles.

The reasons for such confidence are two-fold.

Liverpool were the best team in England by a long distance last term and triumphed at a canter, finishing 10 points clear of Arsenal.

Arne Slot’s debut season at Anfield was meant to be one of adjustment as he stepped into the nigh-on impossible role of replacing Jurgen Klopp.

Instead, Liverpool hit the ground running under the Dutchman, winning 11 of their first 12 games, and never looked back.

In the process Slot became the first Liverpool manager to win the title at the first time of asking after club legends Joe Fagan and Sir Kenny Dalglish.

“To replace Jurgen is a big job and the manager did it in his own way and deserves a lot of credit,” Virgil van Dijk said of Slot after Liverpool swept Tottenham aside to clinch the title at the end of April.

“I don’t think anyone from the outside world thought we would be Premier League champions.”

In the immediate aftermath of the Reds’ triumph, Slot suggested the summer would hold an evolution rather than a revolution.

“Radical changes, you will probably not see,” he said.

“That [radical changes]

would be a bit weird if you won the league.”

But radical changes have followed over the past three months or at least as close to radical as possible for a team that won the league with such ease.

Will Liverpool’s summer spending spree pay off?

The Reds set a new club transfer record by signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for $158 million (£116 million), while Hugo Ekitike was nabbed from under Newcastle’s nose.

The signings of Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, meanwhile, revamped Liverpool’s options at full-back and the arrival of Giovanni Leoni from Serie A side Parma will bolster Slot’s options at centre-back.

Liverpool’s summer spending already exceeds $340 million, a staggering amount in any circumstance, even more so for the reigning champions. It marks the first time since 2018 and only the second since the turn of the century that the Reds have been the biggest spenders in the Premier League.

And more may still be to come if the Reds are successful in landing Alexander Isak from Newcastle.

Newcastle’s stance has hitherto been that the Sweden international is not for sale, but their resolve is being tested.

Isak, who is under contract for two more years with the Magpies, did not travel on their pre-season tour to Singapore and South Korea and has told the club he intends to explore new options.

Newcastle have already knocked back a $150m offer from Liverpool and maintain they want north of $200m for the striker.

The changes at Anfield have not been limited to arrivals, with several significant departures this summer.

Trent Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid in time for the Club’s World Cup in June and was followed out of the door by Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, who joined Bayern Munich and Al-Hilal respectively.

Jarrell Quansah moved to Bayern Leverkusen, while Caoimhin Kelleher left for Brentford.

Overall, Liverpool recouped $226 million from player sales and the figure could rise further if Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa and Kostas Tsimikas are moved on before the transfer window shuts on September 1.

While a stellar transfer window does not always immediately translate into stellar performances on the pitch, the early signings are promising.

Wirtz has looked excellent in pre-season and assisted Ekitike’s goal four minutes into the Community Shield on Sunday.

“Last season, we had a lot of ball possession, but that didn’t always lead to promising situations,” Slot said after Liverpool were beaten by Crystal Palace on penalties.

“We are better in creating and getting promising situations than we were, in my opinion, throughout the whole of last season.”

That Liverpool ultimately lost the season’s traditional curtain raiser at Wembley will not be a major worry for the Dutchman.

Of far greater concern will be the fact that despite their summer spending spree, the Premier League champions remain somewhat light of options at centre-back.

Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate may be one of the best defensive partnerships in the Premier League, but the former is 34 and the latter is in the final year of his contract.

The fitness of both players must be managed carefully, particularly as Joe Gomez, their most obvious replacement, has made only 48 starts in the past five Premier League seasons.

Against that backdrop the signing of 18-year-old Leoni is as much about bolstering Slot’s options as it is about future-proofing. Slot has indicated he intends to rotate his team more this season than he did last term, but defence is one area where he may not be able to do so.

Stellar Mo Salah remains key to Liverpool’s plans

If Liverpool are short at centre-back, they have plenty of attacking weapons at their disposal, none more lethal than Mohamed Salah.

The reigning Premier League Player of the Year, the Egyptian enjoyed a stellar campaign last term, scoring 29 goals to win a fourth Golden Boot as the league’s top scorer, equalling Thierry Henry’s record in the process.

Salah also registered 18 assists, matching the Premier League record for the most goal involvements in one season which was jointly held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.

At 33 years of age, Salah may be approaching the winter of his career, but he remains crucial to his team’s chances of retaining their title and chasing a seventh Champions League triumph.

Arguably the biggest question mark around Liverpool centres on how they will cope with Diogo Jota’s tragic passing in a car crash.

How the Reds deal with the devastating impact of such a tragedy remains to be seen.

Van Dijk has spoken of the players’ desire to honour Jota and to “carry on his legacy” and retaining the Premier League title would be a fitting way for Liverpool to do so.