Carragher has commented on Liverpool FC's transfer activity in his Daily Telegraph column, stating that Liverpool's current buying strategy resembles Real Madrid's approach, and he praises Arne Slot's boldness in deploying young players.

Carragher's Full Column

Arne Slot will return to Bournemouth this weekend, and he is very clear about his player standards. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about Liverpool FC's players.

Once Arne Slot built a strong, disciplined team with a bright future and earned a reputation as a manager through that success. Now he is committed to instilling those same qualities into Liverpool FC, a club that has spent a record amount on player transfers.

The first six games since taking over show that team transformation doesn't happen overnight. The Basque coach is the first Liverpool FC manager to oversee a squad with over 700 million pounds in new signings, but he has every reason to believe he inherited a flawed hand.

Everything Arne Slot has said and done so far suggests he is working hard to find the right fit of genuine players while repeatedly addressing issues both in and out of possession. The impressive performance of the young players against Tottenham Hotspur midweek demonstrates Slot's football vision more clearly than any scene involving expensive star players.

It is no coincidence that Liverpool FC fans in the stands have risen to applaud the fighting spirit and commitment of young players like Quenda, McConnell, and Naylor, and Arne Slot has repeatedly praised them. These young players remind everyone that wearing a Liverpool FC shirt demands adherence to basic standards, regardless of their market value or reputation. Complete commitment on the pitch is a strict requirement. The concern is that many experienced players with big names seemingly need to be told this.

As the international break approaches, there are two perspectives to assess Slot's start. On the surface, three wins and six unbeaten games appear to be solid statistics, if not impressive. From another angle, if they cannot win this weekend, it means the team will have only one victory in their first five Premier League games. With Arsenal and Manchester City having already created a significant gap, this would be a poor start indicating that the old problems Slot cannot solve still persist.

Although the club has invested heavily in transfers since last summer, Slot has inherited a team that is not cohesive. The team needs to reorganize its structure and clarify its tactical logic to restore the consistent performances it achieved when it won the league title 15 months ago.

Like last season, the club hopes Slot can mold these expensive players into a unified unit. The concern is that achieving this goal may require two or three more transfer windows to continuously bring in players suited to his style of play. Given the substantial money already invested, this situation is deeply regrettable.

Slot has not yet settled on the exact squad he wants. First, Liverpool FC has too many left wingers. Although the club spent 123 million pounds on this winger, it has created a selection problem for Slot. The team's best player this season is Gakpo, and if Barcola plays, one of these two must be moved out of position.

Forward Isaac has not yet proven he is the high-intensity pressing forward that Slot prefers. His current three goals indicate good finishing ability. However, after Isaac scored twice against Ipswich Town, Slot's comments to Sky Sports were quite clear: "My demand for Isaac is not about goals. What I emphasize in communicating with him is other aspects: how he helps the team in different situations during the game."

Then there is the Vertz issue, which I mentioned before the season started. The problem is not just his insufficient goal contributions and assists. Playing him as an attacking midfielder also impacts the other midfielders. Szoboszlai is not suited to drop deeper into a more withdrawn role.

Watching Liverpool FC's matches, we can sense that overhauling midfield is a matter of time, not whether it will happen. What is encouraging is that Slot does not seem to hesitate in making necessary adjustments. He has shown courage in making bold changes regardless of a player's reputation. Both fullbacks have been dropped from the starting lineup at times; one returned because substitute Simikás played poorly against Fulham and was not even included in the squad for Tuesday's match.

Gravenberch was rested due to poor form; Konate and Endo were told they will not get Champions League opportunities this season unless there are injuries within the team.

Using young players midweek was a risky move and a crucial night for both the club and Slot. Such glaring weaknesses in the team still give him sufficient authority to make important decisions early in his tenure.

This decisiveness has eased some of my initial doubts about Slot's appointment. As the season progresses and Liverpool FC falls further from title contention, his every decision will become increasingly important and impactful.

The new coach must also properly manage Liverpool FC's transfer strategy. The club has embarked on a risky and unfamiliar recruitment path, increasingly resembling Real Madrid's approach. Currently, Anfield is experiencing a failed "Galáctico" era.

Liverpool FC becoming the first club in the world to have three players valued over 100 million pounds is remarkable in itself. In my view, this path was misguided from the start.

Liverpool FC's past success was built on signing talented, committed players who developed into Premier League and even world-class stars after joining the team. Last year, I disagreed with spending record transfer fees to buy already-established stars, and my view remains unchanged. No matter what success Slot achieves in the future, it cannot convince me that Liverpool FC's transfer strategy was well-considered.

No top club that has just won the league title and strengthened to challenge for another title would drop to fifth place in the league the following season after signing many new players. The team's current realistic and conservative goal is to maintain a top-four position. This is a point I just mentioned: unless Slot performs beyond expectations by challenging for the title without a major squad overhaul, Liverpool FC's 2025 transfer activity will be regarded as one of the worst transfer windows in the club's Premier League history.

It is remarkable that since winning the league title, Liverpool FC has won only 18 of 46 league matches.

The redundancy of personnel in the left wing position reflects the club's confused transfer strategy. Liverpool FC's 2025 stance was not to directly seek a replacement for Luis Díaz to avoid hindering the development of young prospect Ummau. However, the club later changed its mind and pursued Barcola, whose pace and threat will certainly strengthen the team.

Slot was dismissed because many club officials and fans believed the biggest problem was that the head coach could not fully unlock the potential of these talented players.

This scenario bears a striking resemblance to Klopp's situation when he took over in 2015: at that time, outsiders believed Anfield already had talented players, and the team simply needed a better coach to unlock their potential.

Four years later, Klopp led the team to win the Champions League title, and the actual squad was completely different from the 11 players in the first match he managed.

When Slot was first dismissed, my view was that in time, his coaching would be reassessed and it would be acknowledged that Liverpool FC's poor performance resulted from multiple factors and should not be placed entirely on his shoulders. If the team's performance does not improve significantly, this reassessment will come sooner than expected.

The tedious draw with Fulham last weekend elicited the first audible discontent from Liverpool FC fans in the stands. This confirms predictions made by myself and many Liverpool FC fans before the season began.

Slot has become the scapegoat for many players. If players cannot commit to Slot every week at Anfield, they have nowhere to hide.

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