Lewis Steele defends Liverpool’s record-breaking summer spending

Liverpool summer spending under scrutiny again

There is a familiar tone around Liverpool this season, a mix of expectation, frustration and the constant urge to fast forward the process. After winning the Premier League title in his debut campaign, Arne Slot has found his second year far less forgiving. Fourth place in the table and an early Carabao Cup exit hardly scream crisis, yet after a £450m summer outlay, patience has worn thin in some corners.

That is why the perspective offered by Lewis Steele, speaking to Dave Davis for Anfield Index, is worth listening to. It does not dismiss the disappointment, but it frames it within the realities of squad building, adaptation and pressure, especially when elite price tags are involved.

Context behind £450m rebuild

Steele addressed the idea that Slot should already be squeezing more from his new arrivals. As he put it, “I think he should be getting more out of them but if you look at the last month, they’re all starting to come good.” That single line captures the tension perfectly. Expectation demands instant returns, football reality rarely complies.

Liverpool’s recruitment drive brought in Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni and Giorgi Mamardashvili. This was not light tinkering, it was structural change. Such overhauls take time, even at clubs accustomed to seamless transitions.

Signs of life on the pitch

Steele pointed to specific examples that suggest momentum is finally building. “Florian Wirtz has looked good this past month. Jeremie Frimpong has been injured for ages but has been really good when he has come back. Milos Kerkez has been pretty terrible all season but he was very good against Arsenal and Hugo Ekitike is Liverpool’s top scorer this season.”

That mention of Arsenal matters. Performances against top opposition tend to sharpen judgement. Kerkez responding in that environment hints at confidence rather than coincidence. It also reinforces Steele’s broader argument that bedding in at Liverpool is rarely linear.

Photo: IMAGO

Lessons from recent Liverpool history

Perhaps the most telling part of Steele’s assessment was the historical reminder. “Perhaps in hindsight we should’ve expected them to take them to take a while. Even if you look at the likes of Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, they all showed glimpses in their first year and that’s it but now they’re brilliant.”

Liverpool supporters have lived this cycle before. Early flashes, uneven form, then cohesion. Steele continued, “Now after six months, they’re all starting to come good but there’s still levels for them to go to. Especially Florian Wirtz because that pressure is there when you come for £116m.”

That pressure is unavoidable, but development rarely bows to transfer fees. Slot’s challenge is to accelerate consistency without sacrificing growth. Steele’s defence of the summer spend does not deny underachievement so far, it simply argues that judgement now would be premature.