Gary Neville has criticized the "oddness" of Liverpool's summer transfer dealings, leaving Arne Slot with a squad that lacks competitiveness in key areas.

Gary Neville expressed surprise that Liverpool may sell Cody Gakpo to Manchester City for £85 million, and he also cannot understand why Liverpool has failed to recruit a full-back and defensive midfielder, believing these shortcomings will cause Liverpool to "concede many goals."

Gary Neville said on his podcast: "It's very strange. The rumors about Gakpo leaving keep circulating. I know Barcola might arrive, but Gakpo still looks like their best forward. I think he's a genuine threat."

"Players like him sometimes don't get enough credit. He's always involved in attacks, and you shouldn't underestimate players like that. He does a lot of unseen work, but he's always there, always wanting the ball, always on the pitch. He does score and assist, although perhaps not in huge numbers, but players like that are hard to replace."

"When your main rivals want to take him away from you, I always find that a concern. I don't think they can afford to lose him."

"But the strangest thing is they haven't recruited a full-back, neither left-back nor right-back. Kerkez and Frimpong look like ideal full-backs in a five-back system. The squad looks more suited to playing with three at the back."

"If they play with four defenders, and Kerkez and Frimpong play as full-backs, and they don't recruit a defensive midfielder, Liverpool will concede many goals."

"In the two goals conceded against Forest, the right-back wasn't positioned for the first goal; for the second, he let the attacker get past him while defending a throw-in, when he should have tracked him properly. He doesn't have natural defensive instincts."

"We used to criticize Trent Alexander-Arnold's defending. In this context, Trent's defending is far superior to Frimpong's, and he also contributes 15 to 20 assists every season. I don't think Frimpong can do that."

"Kerkez doesn't seem fully settled yet. There was a time last season when I even thought he was an academy player deputizing at left-back for Liverpool, but he's not—he's a very good player. But they can't have both of these players as full-backs simultaneously and expect not to concede."

"I'm not entirely sure what's happening with their recruitment. I think they don't have enough defensive players. I think they've put Arne Slot in a very difficult position. I know he looks like an honorable man, and he always is in interviews, but if I were him, I'd demand action from them within the next 48 hours, because this will damage him."

"If both of these players operate as full-backs in a traditional four-back system, combined with their current midfield, they will concede many goals."

"They have very exciting attacking players. If they add a defensive midfielder and two good full-backs, they'll have a real chance."

"But the lack of recruitment at full-back and center midfield is holding them back. They need to do something about it."

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