Liverpool completed three quiet deals last summer which could now net Arne Slot millions in transfer money

Liverpool’s players may not be due back at the AXA Training Center until early July, but there are plenty of decisions for new head coach Arne Slot to think about in the meantime.

Slot takes the reins at the Anfield club after a promising final season in the Jurgen Klopp era in which the club won the Carabao Cup and finished third in the Premier League. There were also runs to the quarter-finals of both the FA Cup and the Europa League.

But it wasn’t just at Anfield where Liverpool’s parishioners were making the right moves, with loanees Tyler Morton, Fabio Carvalho and Sepp Van den Berg among those enjoying prosperous seasons on loan.

READ MORE: Liverpool have £35m summer signing but need another transfer to unlock full potential

READ MORE: Arne Slot to unleash £304m investment at Liverpool after FSG left shocked by manager’s plan

Twenty-one-year-old Morton, who has been on the Reds’ books since the age of seven, has benefited hugely from a return to the Championship in 2023/24 as he joins promotion chasers Hull City in a long season. loan.

The midfielder spent the previous campaign at Blackburn Rovers in his first spell away from Anfield and in his two seasons at both Ewood Park and the MKM Stadium established himself as one of the division’s most reliable possession players, while ending the campaign with an assist. completion rate of 85.4% (1762/2064).

In January 2024, Morton was joined at East Yorkshire by Carvalho, who spent the first half of the campaign watching RB Leipzig’s success from the substitutes’ bench. But after joining Liam Rosenior’s side, the 21-year-old striker rediscovered both the form and confidence that led Liverpool to sanction a £5m deal to sign him from Fulham with two years earlier, when he scored nine goals in just 20 league games.

Both players will return to the AXA Training Center in early July as Slot sets his sights on his new roster. And Morton, Carvalho and the other returning loanees can expect to feature heavily in Liverpool’s pre-season plans as senior members of the squad are likely to be involved in the latter stages of this summer’s European Championships and, in Alisson’s case Becker, Copa America. and will therefore almost certainly return to Merseyside at a later date.

It means that by mid-August, the new Premier League season, Slot should feel comfortable counting on those who have enjoyed a full pre-season under his watch, and therefore both he and Liverpool may not be willing to sanction late departures. unless a settlement is acceptable to the club.

During Michael Edwards’ six-year tenure as sporting director, Liverpool proved to be astute negotiators in the transfer market and secured a combined fee of almost £50m when Christian Benteke, Jordon Ibe (£15m ) and Brad Smith (£6m) have all left the club.

More recently, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Bournemouth have been the subject of Liverpool’s firm approach as they were forced to spend big to miraculously lure Neco Williams, Rhian Brewster and Dominic Solanke away from Anfield.

Now Sepp Van den Berg appears to be learning all about Liverpool’s strong hand in negotiations as the Dutch defender this week accused the Reds of pushing him away from Anfield as a price tag of around £20m was put on his head after a strong season in the Bundesliga with Mainz 05.

Some reports claimed the German outfit had a £5m option to turn Van den Berg’s loan deal into a permanent deal, but Liverpool insisted there was no such clause. For Van den Berg, though, it means that if Mainz or sides linked with a move for the 22-year-old, Southampton and Brentford, are willing to meet Liverpool’s asking price, he is unlikely to land the permanent move from Anfield that he it’s lust.

It’s a reality Nat Phillips has faced since becoming a star player in Liverpool’s Premier League revival at the end of the 2020/21 season. In fact, since starting against Crystal Palace in May 2021, the 27-year-old has made just eight more appearances for the Reds and has spent most of that time on loan, with no clubs willing to meet Liverpool’s financial demands for a permanent understanding. to be sanctioned.

But should that be the case with either Van den Berg, Morton or Carvalho this summer, their efforts across the continent during loan spells this season have proven they are more than capable of contributing to Slott’s side.

Because of this, Slot will be excited about their return to Liverpool early next month.