Liverpool are approaching the final weeks of the summer transfer window with significant squad questions still unanswered, and pressure is mounting on FSG to act.
New head coach Andoni Iraola has overseen a pre-season campaign largely without his senior stars, yet the experience has still revealed much about his preferred style of play.
Iraola wants fast, front-footed football, and the picture he has painted during the United States tour has given the club a clearer sense of what reinforcements are needed most urgently.
Midfield is emerging as the most pressing area of concern, particularly with Curtis Jones’s proposed transfer to Inter Milan looking increasingly likely with each passing day.
Alexis Mac Allister also faces an uncertain future on Merseyside, leaving Liverpool potentially short of options in the centre of the park ahead of the new Premier League season.
According to BBC Sport, Liverpool have already held talks to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton this summer, though Chelsea are also interested in the 22-year-old.
Crystal Palace are hoping to bank £100m for Wharton, making him one of the most expensive midfield targets in the current transfer window, with some middle ground still needed.
Wharton fits the profile of an Iraola midfielder perfectly, described by analyst Ben Mattinson as a “cheat code” on the ball, and he recovered 4.9 balls and won 2.1 tackles per league game last season.
He also registered five assists and created 14 big chances in the Premier League last season, placing him alongside Dominik Szoboszlai in that particular statistical category among midfielders.
Despite being omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup, which caused significant reaction online, Wharton’s quality remains beyond question at club level.
The concern surrounding a potential Wharton signing centres on young Trey Nyoni, who has been one of Liverpool’s standout performers throughout the pre-season tour so far.
The 19-year-old has impressed Iraola with his composure in possession and his ability to function effectively across every phase of play during the pre-season audition.
Iraola demonstrated at Bournemouth with Alex Scott that he is more than capable of developing a young midfielder into a genuine first-team linchpin over time.
However, it took Scott two full seasons under Iraola before becoming that linchpin, and Nyoni managed just six Premier League appearances last season, none from the start.
The arrival of Wharton would almost certainly push Nyoni further down the pecking order in the short term, even if it would simultaneously relieve some pressure from the teenager’s shoulders.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been one of the few senior players involved from the beginning of pre-season, impressing under Iraola and passing his early audition with flying colours.
Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both showed promise during the 4-2 defeat to Leeds United, though that result underlined the need for greater depth across the squad.
Federico Chiesa also looks set to remain at the club following Arne Slot’s dismissal, offering Iraola a useful attacking utility option as Liverpool prepare for the 2026/27 campaign.
FSG must now move decisively in the transfer market while ensuring that the long-term pathway remains open for Nyoni to flourish under Iraola’s management at Anfield.
Signing Wharton would represent a significant statement of intent, but Liverpool’s hierarchy must balance immediate squad needs against nurturing the next generation of homegrown talent.