Liverpool finished sixth in February and are the reigning champions outside the Champions League qualifying round. Surprisingly, their only move in this transfer window is Centre-back worth £60m, won’t arrive until summer.

The decision to bring in Jeremy Jacquet demonstrates Liverpool’s commitment to the long-term rebuild of the squad and sends a clear message to Arne Slott that he must find solutions from within if he wants to salvage what has been a frustrating season.

Liverpool still have two games to play in the European Cup and the domestic cup, so there is still a lot to overcome and a brilliant finish is still possible. But with injuries affecting Liverpool’s defence, the manager has more pressing issues to address.

Right back Connor Bradley is out for the season, while Jeremy Frimpong has his own health issues. Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s best player of the season, had to take his place. Later interest in Lutsharel Geertruida evaporated.

At centre-back, things aren’t much better with the long-term absence of Giovanni Leoni. Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo had to fill the gaps in the defense. Ibrahima Konate had to cut short his sympathy leave to attend the game against Newcastle.

That’s why missing out on Mark Gersh is still frustrating. For Liverpool supporters it was disappointing enough that the deal fell through at the deadline in the summer. Seeing him move to Manchester City in this window opened the wound again.

Manchester City’s acquisition of Guerch and Antoine Semenho, aged 25 and 26 respectively, were well received as they immediately improved the squad and became recognized players in the Premier League. This gets to the heart of Liverpool’s problem. They are clearly in a period of transition.

Last season’s title, while ostensibly the beginning of a new era under Slaughter, increasingly feels like the end of an era. Anfield’s all-time greats Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have signed new contracts, but along with Alisson, all three are now 33.

Liverpool’s decision-makers know they have to build their next team. One hopes that, as champions, they can do that on merit. Alexander Isak still looks like an indulgence, but the rest of the summer business fits that strategy.

Hugo Ekitike, 23, and Florian Wirtz, 22, are special talents whose best years are ahead of them. Milos Kerkez has emerged as the long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, who is nearly a decade his senior, and it is hoped the Scot’s presence will help with the transition.

These signings follow the template that Michael Edwards has previously used to get Liverpool to this level under Jurgen Klopp. It’s reminiscent of a conversation with Liverpool’s former head of research Ian Graham about squad planning.

He points to Liverpool’s success during that period, with the signings of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah helping them succeed in the Premier League, as more than just WHO It was important that they bought it at the time but when They are buying them.

“The players who are successful, they are 23, 24, one or two 25-year-olds. All the great success is in that age group. I think it was Julian Ward who came up with the saying that they need to have their own career before they have their Liverpool career.”

One of the lessons learned from building championship teams is that they always center around players in their prime. A team full of youngsters and veterans might have the right average age, but it would struggle to achieve the required stability.

Graham’s personal preference is “always on the riskier side – I want to take risks on young players”, but he admitted the risk-reward changes a bit when “Champions League qualification is the minimum target.”

That balance feels important after Jacquet’s move. The young French defender is highly rated and has already established himself at Rennes, thriving in the physical league. But despite all the potential, this is undoubtedly a signing that comes with a certain amount of risk.

This is not a criticism of Jacquet, it is simply fact. When signing someone after 31 top-flight starts, the future trajectory is unclear. As with Leoni’s serious injury, anything from form and fitness to a period of inactivity on the bench could adjust that trajectory.

There is evidence that adding more experienced players to Premier League teams is a challenge. Graham noticed this, too. “If you look at the actual number of starters, we added three starters every year from 2016 to 2019.”

He added: “Although we have made fewer transfers than other clubs, or have lower net spend than other clubs, no other club has integrated as many starting players. This means that the transfers they have made have not become regular starters as often as other clubs.”

This may help explain why Liverpool are finding this season more difficult than many expected. No matter how talented a new hire is, change is tricky. Ekitech and Wirtz are developing a better understanding, which only goes to show that it will take time.

Slaughter was criticized, and understandably so. But the dig he earned for Klopp’s side could easily be overturned. just like the germans possible If he had success with consistency a year ago, he may face similar challenges in managing this transition period.

As for Jacquet, his potential is exciting and he could partner Virgil van Dijk as early as August and eventually become a Liverpool legend. Richard Hughes and others will be optimistic that their long-term thinking will pay off in time.

For Slaughter, he can’t think too far ahead. “We are trying to strengthen the team, not weaken it,” he said on the eve of deadline day. “Let’s see when the window ends.” The second half of the season didn’t improve.

Slott’s future will likely be decided during this period. Just like their season, it’s in the balance right now. Liverpool could still win the Champions League – or even fail to qualify for it. For all the talk about winning and losing in the transfer window, the answer, as always, has to be found on the pitch.