da wazamba： Liverpool survived a spell of poor performances at the start of the season by applying the heart and never-give-up attitude of champions, scoring dramatic late winners to negate poor performances.

da prosport bet： But Arne Slot’s side were unable to find a formula for fluent and controlled play from start to finish, the kind that secured them their riches last season, and instead have plumbed the depths of decline, losing nine of 12 matches in all competitions before steadying themselves in December. Throughout 2025, Liverpool’s form was far from perfect, and close to unacceptable.

Arne Slot at Liverpool (2024 vs 2025)

2024

#

2025

27

Games

56

23

Wins

30

3

Draws

10

1

Losses

16

2.66

PPG

1.79

73

Goals scored

98

27

Goals conceded

71

Data via Transfermarkt

Liverpool have put the stabilisers on, but they are still far from their best. Slot’s more pragmatic approach in recent weeks, making the Anfield side more compact, has also limited creativity and personality.

While fans are moody after Manchester City have signed two Anfield targets in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi, there’s a strong case to be made that a new midfielder is required too.

Liverpool ready to sign Premier League midfielder

Alexis Mac Allister has been horribly out of form this season, and Ryan Gravenberch has been ‘found out’ at number six, with opponents adaptinf and overcoming the silky Dutchman’s press resistance.

Dominik Szoboszlai has been immense, with the all-action Hungarian surely leading the Liverpool polls for their Player of the Season. A shining light if there ever was one, it’s felt at times as if Szoboszlai has led a one-man team.

Now, FSG are ready to bring an even bigger talent over to the Liverpool engine room.

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are preparing an audacious offensive for Newcastle United superstar Sandro Tonali, who is rumoured to be unhappy at St. James’ Park.

The report suggests that the Magpies will not accept anything less than £100m, not least with the former AC Milan man still contracted until 2028.

Why Sandro Tonali would be Liverpool's star midfielder

Tonali has played in deep-lying and box-to-box roles under Eddie Howe’s wing at Newcastle, but his quality stays the same. Tonali went from strength to strength on Tyneside last season, and he played an instrumental in Newcastle’s Champions League-qualifying, title-winning success.

Suspended for a lengthy time soon after he joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55m in 2023, Tonali has since rebounded and is now considered among the cream of the division, or perhaps even Europe.

As per FBref, the Italian ranks among the top 15% of Premier League midfielders this term for passes attempted, the top 11% for progressive passes and the top 195 for ball recoveries per 90, showcasing both his technical quality and his athleticism.

A veritable machine, unrelenting at the heart of his side’s system, Tonali would match Szoboszlai’s energy while implementing a wider range of passing. In fact, the two could complement each other quite nicely, but it’s the Italian maestro who would cement himself as Liverpool’s main man.

Premier League legend Paul Scholes has even agreed that Tonali is the best midfielder in the Premier League, going on to state that he is “better than [Declan Rice]”:

If inserted at the heart of Slot’s midfield, he would not only restore it but remould it.

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Interestingly, this elegant and intelligent midfielder is exactly the kind of profile that Slot needs for his specific set-up, with Liverpool having seen more of the ball than any of their divisional rivals this year. The problem, of course, is that they haven’t been effective enough from creative slants.

In November, Tonali said that he is “happy” at Newcastle, but that the future is hard to predict. This underlines a desire on his part to try his hand elsewhere at some point soon.

Given Liverpool’s need for such a midfield general, perhaps he should take the westerly road toward Anfield, where he would thrive and outshine even the likes of Szoboszlai.

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