Manager Arne Slott has confirmed that Kostas Tsimikas will be part of Liverpool’s squad when he returns from his loan spell at Roma at the end of the season. The Premier League champions put pen to paper to sign Milos Kerkes before confirming his departure at the end of last summer’s transfer window.
However, Andy Robertson’s announcement of his departure has created a vacancy at Liverpool, and Tsimikas is expected to resume his position as a reserve left-back upon his return from Roma. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s game against Everton, the Dutchman said: “Last year we signed quite a lot of players and that’s why we traded so much. In four windows, our net spend was £150m. That tells you what kind of club we are. I know we will change at least two players, but Kostas will be back.”
It would solve at least one problem for Liverpool in the transfer window, although Slott admitted there were still question marks over the squad heading into the summer transfer window. He explained: “The first objective is to see how we react in Mo (Salah)’s position, whether we replace him with a similar player or do things differently.
“There is no possibility of many players leaving at the moment. Of course, there is also the contract situation of (Ibrahima) Konate. If we don’t need to bring in many players, we may not need to train as much.”
Speaking about the Swede, Slott said: It was good that we were able to sign two No. 9 shirts. A lot of people were debating why we signed two, but now it looks like a good idea and people are now saying we should sign another in the summer.
“The next day, someone said to me that you can’t write a script where another player is off the field with a long-term injury on the same day that Alex returns to the starting lineup. It’s even better to have Alex back, but it’s not the first time we haven’t had players available for certain positions, such as right-back. Alex, we know you’re not ready to play at 90 yet.”
Liverpool are locked in a battle to finish in the top five and secure a place in next season’s Champions League. The Merseysiders currently have a four-point lead over sixth-placed Chelsea, but that gap could be reduced to just one by the time kick-off begins at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Speaking about the upcoming games and the battle for the top five, Slott said: “It feels a bit like a mini-league. Every team is focused on the teams around them. We’re focused on the teams around us right now, not Arsenal. Our main focus is on the first game at hand, and that’s Everton.”
