Mid-season report card: A critical evaluation of Liverpool FC’s new boys as title charge takes shape

Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai are the standout performers as new look midfield takes Liverpool back into the title race

The 2023 Summer Transfer Window for Liverpool certainly brought along a lot of “new” with it. A new Sporting Director, to start with. Four incomings, seven outgoings [six if you discount Arthur Melo]. Let’s see how things look at the halfway stage of the season.

Among the first deals that were made public information was the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion for £35m. Considering the current market dynamics where Moises Caicedo fetches £100m, signing the better of the two for a fraction of the fraction of the amount that Caicedo went for is surely a transfer masterclass.

We lost a lot of important players like club captain Jordan Henderson, vice-captain James Milner, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino among others and coping with their absence would have surely come as a huge task. Next up, the signings for the club in the order they joined the club include Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig for £60m

, Wataru Endo from VfB Stuttgart for £15.4m and deadline day signing Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich for £34.25m. Three of the four midfield signings are from the Bundesliga—no brownie points for guessing where our Sporting Director is from.

Let’s jump straight into the ratings for our 2023 Summer Transfer window signings:

Alexis Mac Allister (7/10)

Joined the club amid loads of hype. He surely had a tough few weeks adjusting to the #6 role as Macca is not a natural in the defensive midfield role. The Argentine international blew hot and cold and was starting to find his feet in that role before a knee injury came his way in the league encounter against Sheffield United, and the former Brighton man hasn’t played since. Hopefully, his return from the layoff will see him slot into a natural central midfield/offensive midfield role as we enter the second half of the campaign. Until now, he’s been a 7/10 and even Alexis would agree that his best is yet to come in a Liverpool shirt.

Dominik Szoboszlai (7.5/10)

Liverpool actually got him on board when nobody expected us to. It was in its true essence, a surprise signing as there was not a lot of speculation leading into the actual transfer. Szobo

has been one of our best-performing players until now but has shown signs of tiredness in recent weeks. That is totally understandable given he featured in almost every game. Scored some bangers as well. His best, as is the case with Macca, is yet to come. 7.5/10 considering we have seen what he is capable of during his time at Leipzig, and we have not seen that yet on Merseyside.

Wataru Endo (7.5/10)

Liverpool saw themselves linked with the likes of Moises Caicedo and Romero Lavia and here we are. We signed former VfB Stuttgart skipper Wataru Endo. Not a lot of Reds fans knew Endo’s best strengths. In the initial few weeks, Endo struggled to adjust to the pace of the Premier League and divided opinions. However, credit where due, he has been an absolute baller in the middle of the park for Jurgen Klopp. Putting in big performances against strong opposition. Top-class from the player. 7.5/10

Ryan Gravenberch (7/10)

The Reds signed him on deadline day from Bayern Munich. We needed midfielders over the summer and that is exactly what Liverpool did. Signed four midfielders. Gravenberch is still young and has shown glimpses of his potential. The manager has been shuffling between the Dutchman and Curtis Jones. Has been blowing hot and cold, but impressive more often than not. 7/10

What next for the Reds?

The upcoming January transfer window allows us to further strengthen our squad as we head towards the business end of things. Of all the requirements, we need a left-sided centre-back first of all, an elite defensive midfielder, a right-winger and possibly a right-back as well. Let’s see how things go. Up the Reds!