Liverpool’s 2025/26 campaign has been a sobering reality check, and The Hard Tackle lists three players who can revive their fortunes next season.
After the highs of Jurgen Klopp’s dynasty, the transition to Arne Slot has exposed frailties: a porous midfield, blunt wide attacks, and full-back instability. Sitting fourth in the Premier League and out of Europe, Liverpool have conceded 47 goals in 35 Premier League matches.
Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson’s impending exits underline the urgency. To transform next season, Liverpool must target three players: Adam Wharton for defensive steel, Yan Diomande for wide flair, and Julian Ryerson for versatile full-back cover. These signings could restore balance and propel the Reds to greater heights.
Plugging the Midfield Black Hole: Adam Wharton
Liverpool’s greatest Achilles’ heel lies in midfield, where the absence of a specialist defensive midfielder has unravelled the team’s structure. Slot’s 4-2-3-1 demands a pivot to shield the back four and break opposition transitions, yet the Reds lack one.
Ryan Gravenberch, repurposed as a holding midfielder, has averaged 1.2 tackles per 90 minutes, solid but not elite, and his progressive passing (6.8 per 90) suffers amid constant defensive duels. He’s been dribbled past 1.8 times per game, exposing Virgil van Dijk to 12% more through-balls than last season.
Enter Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace’s 22-year-old lynchpin, who could be the ideal fix. The former Blackburn Rovers prodigy has anchored Palace’s rise to mid-table security, starting 27 Premier League games, recording 92% pass accuracy and 2.4 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per 90.
His 6’3″ frame excels in duels (68% won), and he ranks in the top 5% of Europe’s midfielders for progressive passes under pressure (7.2 per 90). Logically, Wharton slots into the anchor role, freeing Gravenberch to roam as a No. 8, his natural habitat.
Wharton will not just tighten the defence, he will elevate the Dutchman’s output, turning a weakness into a launchpad for Slot’s fluid transitions. However, Liverpool will face stiff competition for his signature, as widespread reports have linked the Englishman with several high-profile clubs, including Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Injecting Flair on the Flank: Yan Diomande
With Salah’s departure looming and his goals and assists masking a squad-wide creative drought, Liverpool’s right flank will lose its wizardry. Cody Gakpo, shifted wide, has managed just 8 goals and 6 assists, with a dismal 0.9 key passes per 90 and zero successful take-ons against top-half defences.
RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, a 19-year-old Ivorian explosive, embodies the unpredictability Arne Slot craves. Bursting onto the scene with 22 goal contributions in 2025/26 (Bundesliga and cups), the ex-Leganes speedster averages 3.4 successful dribbles per 90 (top 2% among wingers) and 2.1 key passes. His 35% conversion rate on take-ons shreds full-backs.
The youngster has blistering pace (top speed 35.8 km/h) and thrives in half-spaces, inverting like Salah while cutting inside lethally (right-footed on the left). Unlike Gakpo, who is better centrally, Diomande adds the flair Liverpool will desperately need once Salah departs, turning toothless attacks into a whirlwind.
Slot’s Feyenoord success with wing wizards like Calvin Stengs suggests a seamless fit. However, as is the case with Adam Wharton, Liverpool will face stiff competition for Diomande’s signature, with Arsenal and Chelsea among the prospective suitors vying for his signature.
Versatile Depth at Full-Back: Julian Ryerson
Injuries have ravaged Liverpool’s full-backs: Jeremie Frimpong missed 25 games with hamstring issues, Conor Bradley 29 with hamstring, muscle and knee injuries. Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson, 28, offers a dynamic solution: a Norwegian international who covers both flanks with elite athleticism, winning 62% of duels and delivering 1.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per 90 across positions.
His 88% pass accuracy and 4.1 progressive carries underline versatility. Ryerson’s crossing (2.1 per 90, 28% accuracy) would will Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. Ryerson provides rotation without blocking prospects like Conor Bradley. He can be an upgrade on Jeremie Frimpong on the right flank, cover the left-back after Robertson’s exit, and enable a back-three pivot in Europe. In a squad prone to fixture pile-ups, Ryerson’s two-footed reliability transforms a crisis into strength.
A Transformed Liverpool Awaits
Adam Wharton, Yan Diomande, and Julian Ryerson, together, address Liverpool’s core issues: midfield fragility, wide sterility, and full-back brittleness. Wharton will anchor, Diomande will dazzle, and Ryerson will rotate, thus unlocking Ryan Gravenberch, revitalising Cody Gakpo centrally, and fortifying Arne Slot’s evolution.
This is not tinkering; it is transformation. Liverpool finished the 2024/25 campaign as champions, but their struggles in the 2025/26 season demands redemption. With FSG’s data-driven approach, these moves could vault them back to title contention. The Kop faithful deserve no less.
