Liverpool signing named the Premier League’s most high-profile transfer as Arne Slot to pick what’s next

Liverpool rebuilt their midfield almost entirely from scratch last summer. In that context, breaking the 80-point barrier in the league and winning a trophy made this a very good campaign.

The Reds have signed Wataru Endō, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai ahead of 2023/24 and have started 16 games in all competitions, with three of the four in the heart of the squad. A record of nine wins and seven draws in normal time shows how quickly the quartet have established themselves.

The level of impact the four players had inevitably varied. With Mac Allister playing the most minutes and contributing the most goals, it is reasonable to suggest that he has been the most important to the Reds’ success this term. And a much more detailed analysis reached a similar conclusion.

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The CIES football observatory assessed the impact that players from 54 leagues had this season. It did so “taking into account players’ performances in six areas of the game, minutes and domestic league results”. The areas in question were ground defence, distribution, takeover, chance creation, finishing and aerial play so the key aspects of the game were all incorporated.

The leading player was Manchester City midfielder Rodri with a score of 98.5. Having gone 70 games unbeaten before Saturday’s FA Cup final, it seems reasonable that the Spain international would top an impact rating.

Granit Xhaka (92.3) had an equally successful season with Bayer Leverkusen and was second in the ranking. He was followed by Martin Ødegaard (89.9), Florian Wirtz (89.2), Toni Kroos (89.0), Jude Bellingham (87.9) and then Mac Allister (85.0).

The next highest rated Liverpool player was Virgil van Dijk, who was ranked 22ndwhen most impactful player, three places ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Although they didn’t rank as high overall, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez ranked ninth among wings and center forwards, respectively, so they fared well among their positional peers.

But Mac Allister was Liverpool’s main man and it’s worth putting his efforts in context. Rodri arguably had the better season, but he did it from a position of strength, as an established player in a team that had just won the treble. The Reds’ number 10 had no such luxury.

Like Mac Allister, Xhaka and Bellingham were also on their debut campaign with new clubs, unlike Ødegaard, Wirtz and Kroos. It means the former Brighton man has been the Premier League’s most impactful new signing in 2023/24. Anyone who saw his blistering goals against Fulham and Sheffield United might be inclined to agree with that assessment.

Liverpool.com says: Mac Allister had a very encouraging first season with Liverpool. It will be fascinating to see how Arne Slot develops him as he has performed better in advanced areas. But wherever he has been posted, the Argentine has seemingly had an impact that few players around the globe have been able to match in 2023/24.