The recruitment Liverpool must make to challenge for the Premier League, according to Dirk Kuyt

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 3 min read

Former Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt has highlighted the recruitment the club must complete this summer in order to emerge once again as challengers for the Premier League title.

The 2019/20 season saw the Reds claim their first ever Premier League title which was their first top division triumph in 30 years.

READ MORE: Former Liverpool favourite questions whether Salah would succeed in La Liga

However, they have put up a limp defence of their crown and are currently a huge 25 points adrift of the league leaders Manchester City in the 2020/21 campaign.

A lot of their issues have came down to the raft of injuries they have suffered, particularly in defence as first choice centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have missed the majority of the season.

In order to become competitive again, it is believed the club will dip into the transfer market this summer, with finances looking healthier after the recent investment by RedBird Capital Partners, and Kuyt reckons there are numerous areas that need addressed.

“In my opinon they need a few signings. Players like [James] Milner and a few others are getting older. We don’t know what’s going to happen with all the front players,” the Dutchman told Stadium Astro.

“It was a shame this season that [Diogo] Jota was injured, as you see what he is bringing to the team. So if you have Jota and you have three other top quality front players like [Roberto] Firmino, [Mohamed] Salah, and [Sadio] Mane, you’ve got four for three places and that’s what you need everywhere on the pitch.

“We need some strength in defence, we need a central defending backup. You have seen what the centre-backs have done on both sides, they have did really well but they are still young players so you need some cover there.

“In midfield we need some extra quality as well.

“If Liverpool can do this, I’m sure they’ll challenge for the Premier League next season but you need to challenge the players.”

Who will Liverpool sign this summer?

Over the past week or so Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for RB Leipzig central defender Ibrahima Konate after missing out on his team-mate Dayot Upamecano, who has completed a transfer to Bayern.

Other defenders the club are looking at includee Kalidou Koulibaly, Pau Torres, and Jules Kounde, but Konate is now believed to be at the top of their wishlist.

More fantastical rumours have mentioned Kylian Mbappe to Liverpool, too, but that one seems unlikely given the money it would take to prise the World Cup winner away from Paris Saint-Germain.

Should Gini Wijnaldum leave at the end of his contract then midfield reinforcements will be required.

Brighton’s Yves Bissouma, Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul, and Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse are just some of the names who could replace the Dutchman.