Carragher predicts major rebuild with Slot not trusting 'four or five' Reds stars

Jamie Carragher fully expects Liverpool to embark on a wholesale squad rebuild this summer with Arne Slot “not having the time for four or five” players and with Paul Scholes having criticised the Reds boss for his biggest failing recently.

The Dutchman was brought in as the somewhat unexpected replacement for Jurgen Klopp last summer after it was announced the German would be departing after close to nine glorious years at the helm. With Michael Edwards leading the hunt and ultimately making a beeline for the then-Feyenoord boss, it’s safe to say that the Liverpool CEO of football got his choice dead right.

And while many predicted the Reds would fall away this season, Slot has actually steered Liverpool to within the cusp of Premier League title glory in his first season at the helm.

The truth is that the title has looked wrapped up for weeks and while Slot could take nothing for granted, Carragher suggests the fact he has failed to rotate his squad at the business end of the season has ultimately cost the club glory on more fronts.

Assessing their Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle and exit to PSG in the Champions League, Carragher said on The Overlap: “I don’t think he’s got any time for four or five of those players in that squad – he’ll refuse to play them.

“The fact he didn’t change players at home to Southampton, in between the PSG games… Southampton are arguably one of the worst, if not the worst, teams we’ve ever seen in the Premier League, and he still didn’t trust his squad!”

On what is to come this summer, Carragher added: “I can accept that this season – because it’s not really his squad, its been passed to him – but I think next season (and I’m sure they’ll bring players in) he’ll have to trust his squad more.

“You have to go further in the Champions League [and] you can’t accept a performance like that against Newcastle.

“I’m giving the lads the benefit of the doubt that they’ve run out of steam, but you can’t accept Liverpool playing like that in a cup final.”

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Scholes names Slot’s biggest Liverpool blunder

The likes of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have all already played in excess of 3,000 minutes of football across the 2024/25 campaign, leading to suggestions that their squad is starting to run out of steam.

As a result, Carragher’s fellow pundit, Paul Scholes, feels Slot’s refusal to rotate the squad for that recent Premier League win over Southampton proved a major error on the Dutchman’s part, suggesting any XI the Reds put out that day would have got the job done.

Reflecting on that 3-1 win on March 8, Scholes commented: “I think the big mistake is that Southampton game. He could have changed 11 players, the result didn’t really matter, you’re 12 points clear, you probably still would have won.

“Giving rest to the players was big and it’s show now, hasn’t it?

“You can’t underestimate how it’s affected you on Tuesday night against PSG, going out of that, it just deflates everything.”

Off the back of their late-season drop-off, some have questioned if Liverpool could even blow the title race.

However, Thierry Henry has explained why he thinks the Merseysiders will at least go on to hold aloft the English league crown for the second time in five seasons.

Speaking on CBS Sports after Newcastle had beaten the Reds to win the Carabao Cup, Henry was asked if Liverpool could finish the season empty-handed.

“No, that’s just how it is when you’ve won more games. There’s 38 games, that’s how it is, you have to give them the credit to go 12 points ahead. Let’s see what happens, but I don’t see it happening except if Liverpool implodes.”

Liverpool transfer latest: Contact made for red-hot striker; double defender link

Meanwhile, Liverpool have already held talks over the blockbuster signing of Victor Osimhen this summer, his captain for Nigeria has let slip, and with the on-loan Galatasaray striker boasting seven qualities that make him ideal for the Premier League.

The Reds could partially fund a move for the on-loan Galatasaray striker by offloading the out-of-sorts Diogo Jota and speculation is gathering pace that the Portuguese will be allowed to move away.

To that end, our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher has exclusively revealed that Jota’s former club, Wolves, have already held talks over a possible deal to bring him back to Molineux – and with the Reds having also named their price.

On the incoming front, Liverpool are reported to be stepping up their hunt to sign a new defender. And amid claims that Virgil van Dijk has now decided to leave, the Reds are being linked with a move for a powerful Italy and Inter Milan stalwart.

Elsewhere, the Reds have also been tipped to sign Darwin Nunez’s international teammate in a £55m deal.

On the subject of Van Dijk, Robbie Fowler has explained what will happen to the Reds in the event that all of the Dutchman, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah depart Anfield – as now feared – this summer.

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