Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has given his take on Arne Slot’s squad after the Reds’ recent run of poor form
Robbie Fowler has discussed his thoughts on the current Liverpool squad(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Robbie Fowler has argued that some of the new stars in Arne Slot’s squad are not up to Liverpool’s standards. The Reds spent huge sums in the summer transfer window but the current Premier League champions have lost five of their last six league games.
The club initially received plenty of plaudits for their recruitment, twice breaking their transfer record for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. The additions of Jeremie Frimpong and Mlos Kerkez were also seen as shrewd additions, with Hugo Ekitike adding more firepower in attack.
However, Slot’s side currently sit eighth in the table, having fallen well below the team’s previous title-winning form. Last season, club legend Fowler argued that striker Darwin Nunez was “not a Liverpool player” and he has been asked whether he believes the same applies to any of the Reds’ summer recruits.
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“I do. When you’re analysing footballers, and you can take this with a pinch of salt, but I think a lot of coaches and managers now can probably see within the first training session or the first game, how a player adapts, see how they control things, see how they run, see how they move, and how they collect the ball,” Fowler told Adventure Gamers. “That was one of the first things I noticed with Darwin Nunez.”
The ex-Liverpool striker delivered his Nunez verdict ahead of last season’s FA Cup tie with Accrington Stanley in January. Nunez scored 40 goals in 143 appearances before being sold to Al-Hilal in the most recent transfer window.
“We’re saying the same things now that we were saying two or three years ago,” Fowler said of Nunez on ITV Sport. “He’s raw, he’s this, he’s that, and we can’t keep saying that.
“So for me, the more I see him, the more I think he’s not a Liverpool player. Now, people might have a go at me for saying this: you know, he works hard; you’re not signing a player because he works hard because that should be a prerequisite anyway.
Fowler criticised Darwin Nunez last season(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
“You’ve got to come in, you’ve got to score goals, and I know he’s a fan favourite for what he puts in, but at the time that we’re talking now, you’ve got to perform better, and you’ve got to do better in the Liverpool shirt.”
In terms of this season, Fowler has already stated that Liverpool will need to be flawless for the rest of the campaign to stand a chance of retaining the league title. He also feels that Liverpool have not sufficiently addressed defensive midfield since Fabinho left Anfield two years ago.
Fowler stopped short of naming the summer signings he would liken to Nunez. However, he did share his thoughts on how Frimpong and Kerkez have functioned as part of a new-look Liverpool defence.
Fowler has discussed the issues facing Arne Slot’s side(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
“It’s been difficult for Jeremie Frimpong because everyone is thinking he’s going to come in and replace Trent, when he’s not really been played in the same position as Trent for his whole career,” Fowler said to Adventure Gamers.
“Kerkez for me was a player who was outstanding in the Premier League last year. Hence the reason why he was picked in the Premier League team of the year.
“So there’s definitely potential with him as well. Is he ready now? I don’t know, but I think he will be.”
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