Liverpool drew 2-2 at Newcastle and conceded both goals the same way: opponents running at pace into space where a midfield used to be. Dominik Szoboszlai's stoppage-time penalty rescued the point. The hole it was scored to cover has been there since 2023.
What the money did not buy
Fabinho left in 2023 and was never replaced. Even in the season Liverpool won the league under Arne Slot, the standing complaint was that the squad needed an overhaul and that a dedicated holding player alongside Ryan Gravenberch was the priority. What made the spree that followed so strange was not who came in but who did not.
Seven players arrived for around £445m: Alexander Isak for a Premier League record £125m, Florian Wirtz for £116.5m, Hugo Ekitike for £79m, Milos Kerkez for £40m, Jeremie Frimpong for £29.5m, Giorgi Mamardashvili for £29m and Giovanni Leoni for £26m. None of them was a defensive midfielder. Liverpool finished fifth, Slot was sacked, and the one arrival who has looked the part, Ekitike, is out for months with a ruptured achilles.