Graeme Souness has pinpointed two areas in which Jurgen Klopp should look to strengthen his Liverpool side this summer.
The Reds secured a Champions League qualification spot on Sunday – a vital achievement ahead of a summer of change, according to Jamie Carragher.
And Souness has joined his fellow Sky Sports pundit in looking at the areas Liverpool need to reinforce in the transfer window to avoid “standing still”.
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He claims a new centre-back is crucial, to ensure Fabinho can remain in midfield next season.
“I think defence is one,” Souness said. “I think midfield is one. There’s been several players in the midfield who have arrived and not lived up to expectations.
“I suppose the priority will be another centre-half; an experienced centre-half. When they take Fabinho out of midfield they lose something.
“But if Liverpool don’t strengthen, they’ll be the only team in the Champions League who don’t strengthen. If you don’t strengthen, you’re standing still.
“I fully expect Liverpool to buy this summer and buy more than once.”
Souness is under no illusion just how destructive failing to reach the top four would have been Klopp and Liverpool.
“Liverpool are one of the big guys, they have to be in the Champions League,” he added. “If you’re looking to attract players you have to be in there.
“It’s an enormous advantage to be in the Champions League. They are one of the big guys right now, they have to be in there.
“It would have been an absolute disaster from every angle if they hadn’t have got there this year. It’s been a very difficult year for them.
“If you go back four or five weeks it looked like they weren’t going to make it, but they showed character and found form at the right time and no one can deny they deserve to be there.”
Klopp will have to cope without the trusty pair of hands of Gini Wijnaldum, and Souness paid tribute to the departing Dutch midfielder.
“They’ll miss him,” he added. When you look back on the three years of Liverpool’s success before this year. Everyone talks about the front three, about the defence, about the goalkeeper.
“No one seems to talk about the midfield. Along with Jordan Henderson, Wijnaldum and James Milner, they’re the driving force.
“They’re not silky, they don’t dribble with it, but they were the catalyst for everything that was good about Liverpool.
“That part of the team is overlooked and they’ve been fabulous.”
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