Liverpool’s summer of spending has opened the door to a club record that has been standing for 25 years being rewritten.
Liverpool have added eight new faces to Arne Slot‘s ranks so far this summer, with more additions expected before the transfer window closes on September 1.
After taking careful consideration of what Jurgen Klopp left behind, Liverpool are now building a squad in Slot’s image, which has seen them spend £295 million and recoup £145 million to date.
And all the new faces could see Liverpool break a longstanding record for the most debuts in a single match, which stands at six in the topflight and eight across all competitions.
The most debuts in the club’s history came against Aston Villa in the League Cup defeat in 2019, when Neil Critchley oversaw eight debutants in what was, at the time, the club’s youngest-ever starting lineup (average age of 19.5 years).
But you have to go back to 1999 for the second-most debuts in a match, when Gerard Houllier used six new faces against Sheffield Wednesday in the 1999/00 season opener, which remains a league record for Liverpool and one that didn’t look likely to ever be beaten – until now that is.
Aston Villa, 2019 (8): Isaac Christie-Davies, Luis Longstaff, Leighton Clarkson, Morgan Boyes, Tony Gallacher, Jack Bearne, James Norris, Thomas Hill
Sheffield Wednesday, 1999 (6): Titi Camara, Didi Hamann, Sami Hyypia, Erik Meijer, Vladimir Smicer, Sander Westerveld
There will be some who debate whether or not the Community Shield is an official match, but the season opener against Bournemouth will put the record under threat.
Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike will be expected to take on prominent roles, while Giorgi Mamardashvili could be in contention if Alisson is unavailable.
Although Slot is unlikely to look beyond the aforementioned goalkeepers, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman are fit and could be called on in the unlikely event of injuries or other issues.
Teenage striker Will Wright is also unlikely to be called upon, but the new signing did feature in the second of two pre-season games against Athletic at Anfield.
With the visit of Bournemouth still more than a week away, Liverpool could have added further names to their squad before then, namely Alexander Isak and a new centre-back.
It is no secret that Liverpool want to wrap up a deal for the Newcastle striker, and their defence needs reinforcing after Jarell Quansah‘s exit and Joe Gomez‘s latest injury.
It is, therefore, certainly plausible that Liverpool break their record for the most debuts in a league match (six), which dates back to 1999, but it remains to be seen if Slot will call on nine new faces to set a new club record.
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