Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk, has emphasized the need to bolster Liverpool’s attacking options following their Community Shield loss.
The Reds entered the Wembley clash against Crystal Palace as favorites but were ultimately defeated in a penalty shootout after a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Despite the setback, Van Dijk highlighted encouraging performances from new signings Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool’s attacking threat noticeably diminished after Ekitike was substituted, prompting Van Dijk to stress the importance of adding more forwards to the squad.
Speaking to talkSPORT (via SportsMole), the captain said, “We’ve just lost Darwin [Nunez], who moved to Saudi Arabia, and Lucho [Luis Diaz], who went to Bayern Munich. There’s always room to bring in another attacker to strengthen the team. Let’s see what the transfer window has in store for us to balance the squad.”
The club has been heavily linked with Newcastle United’s striker Alexander Isak this summer, with a reported £110 million offer already turned down earlier in August.
While Liverpool have been the biggest spenders in the Premier League so far, they have also recovered a substantial amount through player sales.
With Darwin Nunez now at Al-Hilal and Diaz at Bayern, Liverpool face gaps that remain to be filled.
Following the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, Ekitike stands as Liverpool’s only senior striker, making it risky to approach the 2025-26 campaign with such limited options up front.
If versatile forward Federico Chiesa departs as widely expected, Liverpool will be left with just Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo as established wide attackers.
Securing Isak would not only strengthen the Reds’ depth in the striker role but also provide flexibility to deploy Ekitike in other attacking positions.
