Guardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 5th
Prospects
Andoni Iraola did not have to be sold on Liverpool when they came calling for a coach courted also by Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace after his sterling work at Bournemouth. This is just as well as the sales pitch did not come with bells and whistles attached. “When I came here, the owners told me everything is not perfect,” the new head coach revealed at his unveiling. “They said we would have some challenges, we would have to replace important players leaving, we have some injuries, but we are here to solve these kind of problems.” Validating last summer’s expensive recruitment strategy, restoring the faith of the Anfield crowd and rebuilding in an impatient environment can be added to that list.
Liverpool were enticed by Iraola’s style of play, but his ability to step back and problem-solve – taking Bournemouth into Europe last season despite losing most of his defence in the summer and Antoine Semenyo in January, for example – will have also appealed. Arne Slot was assailed by unprecedented challenges last season, including the death of Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah’s attempts to undermine his manager in public, and lost his way as a result. How much of last season’s regression can be pinned on the former head coach will become apparent in the months ahead.
Similarly to Slot in 2024, Iraola has been bequeathed a rich inheritance in terms of individual talent. Unlike his predecessor, however, he is starting from a lower base in terms of constructing a team. With Salah gone and no replacement installed, as yet, responsibility has increased on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak to produce after their underwhelming debut seasons. Wirtz has been deployed just behind Isak in pre-season and the early signs have been promising. Central midfield options are strong and Dominik Szoboszlai’s new five-year contract removes one distraction. Questions remain over Liverpool’s threat from out wide, their defensive resources and leadership within the team, but having worked towards this moment throughout his coaching career Iraola will be confident of finding answers.
Off-field picture
In contrast to last summer there has been more upheaval behind the scenes with a change of head coach, Michael Edwards departing as chief executive of football for the owners, Fenway Sports Group, and the sporting director, Richard Hughes, expected to follow suit once the transfer window closes. But one issue dominates: the arrival of the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and Amit Bhatia, son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, as part of a consortium that has bought 30% of Liverpool for £1.65bn. That several of the world’s richest people have bought into Liverpool underlines the attractiveness of the club, commercially and otherwise, but beyond Bhatia becoming vice-chairman on an expanded board it remains to be seen what the deal truly means for the club and its fans.
Owner-fan relationship
FSG’s habit of annoying and then appeasing the Liverpool fanbase returned last season when it abandoned plans to lock in ticket prices rises over a three-year period. The owners were thanked for engaging with supporters, after widespread protests , but there are now weightier conversations to be had in light of their deal with the 1892 Holdings consortium. As the supporters union, Spirit of Shankly, asked in an open letter: “Is this part of a planned wider sale, or a one-off? What due diligence is being done on the potential investors/owners? This is about their plans, reasons for purchase and involvement in sports or business elsewhere.” FSG insist the deal is not an exit strategy from a club they purchased for £300m in 2010 but will increase global business, technology and investment opportunities.
The manager
After sacking Slot it was no surprise Liverpool turned to a coach who promises the kind of aggressive, front-foot style Anfield openly pined for last season. Iraola, who was lured from Rayo Vallecano by Hughes when the Liverpool sporting director worked for Bournemouth, was the only candidate Liverpool spoke to in their quick transition from the Slot era. The 44-year-old Basque has no silverware, or even European experience on his CV, but his record of consistently improving attractive teams, which resulted in Bournemouth qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history last season, made him one of the most coveted coaches available this summer.
Stat attack
Liverpool had a weird, erratic campaign in 2025-26. Only Aston Villa and Manchester City had a longer run of Premier League wins yet only four teams (including Chelsea and Tottenham) had a worse losing streak. Their four-draw stretch in January was only topped by Bournemouth and Brentford. Iraola was unbeaten in his final 18 league matches last season and will need to bring similar consistency to Liverpool.
Star signing
Liverpool would love the answer to be Bradley Barcola (and for Paris Saint-Germain to lower their asking price for the France international) but as that pursuit continues it is another arrival from Ligue 1 who could prove their most important recruit so far, Jérémy Jacquet. A £55m deal rising to £60m was completed with Rennes in February, just days before the 21-year-old sustained a shoulder injury that ended his season, after Liverpool had been in the market for a young central defender with vast potential for some time. Jacquet’s recovery has affected his first pre-season at Anfield, but he is considered an immediate, if inexperienced, solution to a problem position and impressed on his first outing against Como.
Set for a breakthrough
There may be more opportunities for Rio Ngumoha depending on how Liverpool’s winger chase goes, but, of all the young talents on display this summer, no one pushed their claims further than Trey Nyoni. Nyoni and Ngumoha were part of Slot’s stretched first team squad last season, but the former’s involvement was limited to six substitute appearances in the Premier League plus eight cup outings. The 19-year-old looked immediately at ease in pre-season with Iraola’s instructions for quick, forward passes from his central midfielders and embraced responsibility. Nyoni faces fierce competition to establish himself, but appears ready to make the step up.
World Cup impact
The first pre-season is hugely important to a new coach, but post-World Cup holidays deprived Iraola of eight players when Liverpool reported back. He will have had a full squad together for three weeks by the time the season starts at Newcastle, injuries excluded. The tournament brought deflating exits for several Liverpool players, including Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Florian Wirtz, but also a welcome reminder of Alexis Mac Allister’s talents as the midfielder helped Argentina reach a second successive final. Mac Allister was not alone in struggling last season, but showed this summer just how influential he can be.