The bold transfer claim Liverpool sporting director has just ten days to fulfil

Liverpool opted for a quiet January transfer window, allowing excitement and speculation to build up ahead of the summer. With Jurgen Klopp announcing his departure, many expected Anfield to be one of the busiest transfer activity hubs, with players heading out the door and the club recruiting plenty of talent to replace them.

But it’s been quite the opposite for the Reds. Despite entering this new era at the club, with a new manager, sporting director, and the return of Michael Edwards, Liverpool have had another quiet period so far. Apart from Fabio Carvalho’s sale to Brentford and the three players who left as free agents, there has been nothing concrete happening with Liverpool.

Fans and professionals have been divided over Liverpool’s lack of action, with some happy to see out the year as they are, and others concerned they are missing depth in some areas. Indeed, the Reds had made it their main mission to sign a new holding midfielder this summer and came close to bringing in Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, However, after talks collapsed, some reports emerged that Liverpool would not be pursuing another midfielder this year.

Paul Joyce first reported that the Reds had decided against targeting another No.6 after the Zubimendi snub, while Football Insider says that they will wait until January to bring in a significant midfield signing. This has left a lot of questions hanging over whether Liverpool will be signing anybody at all at this rate.

With a little more than a week left until Deadline Day, time is now heavily against Slot’s side. New sporting director Richard Hughes also has extremely limited time left to deliver on a prediction he made last month.

When asked about Liverpool’s transfer activity, the former Bournemouth man teased that his new side could be in for a busy end to the window, with a ‘crescendo’ of business coming in August.

“After the flurry in June, my prediction is that it will calm down a bit in July, when August starts and coaches have had more time to work with players and opinions will be more set, you may see a situation where there is a bit of a hurry to get things done and make sure everyone's squad is in order.

“I don't think this summer will be any different. Who knows what will transpire economically, it is hard to say, that was probably the reason for June. I would say a quiet July and a crescendo in August awaits us all.”

Sometimes unexpected turns appear along the path and that seems very much like what initially happened with Zubimendi. Despite inching closer to his signature, the Reds were snubbed when the Euro 2024 winner changed his mind and opted to stay at Real Sociedad instead. However, suggesting it would be a fruitful August and then entering the final week of the window with no new signings will be very disheartening for a lot of fans.

Whether Hughes has some hidden tricks up his sleeve remains to be seen. A promising revelartion is that links between Liverpool and Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili are progressing, with the latest updates claiming that an initial €30 million (£25.6m) deal has been tabled to Valencia, with the plan for the shot-stopper to stay in Spain on loan before making a full move to Anfield in 2025.