Liverpool’s recruitment praised as Premier League clubs face distinct problems after weekend

Liverpool’s transfer strategy and squad depth drew praise after the club scraped past Burnley, with columnist Ian Ladyman citing smart recruitment and the influence of midfielder Ryan Gravenberch as key reasons the Reds sit top of the Premier League despite an uneven start.

Ladyman, writing in his weekend column, said Liverpool’s market moves over the past seven years had reshaped a squad that has gone on to win a Champions League and two domestic titles. He singled out Gravenberch, a £34 million signing from Bayern Munich in 2023, as the metronomic presence in Sunday’s victory, noting the Dutchman completed 87 passes and set the tempo for Liverpool’s attacking play.

Ladyman contrasted that consistency with isolated recruitment misses elsewhere in Europe, naming a handful of players who have not matched expectations after high-profile moves. He also noted the club’s recent history of avoiding major transfer failures, referencing Naby Keita’s £50 million move in 2018 as a rare example of a signing that did not pay off, and observing that Darwin Núñez, who scored 40 goals and supplied 22 assists in 143 appearances before being sold for £50 million, fell short of the club’s hopes.

Manchester United’s derby defeat to Manchester City prompted a separate line of criticism in the column about timing and selection around goalkeeper recruitment. Ladyman reported that United had intended to sign Senne Lammens during the summer but questioned why the club delayed and why the newly signed goalkeeper did not go straight into the side for Sunday’s match. By contrast, Pep Guardiola’s City brought in Gianluigi Donnarumma only after Ederson’s move to Turkey was completed, and Donnarumma was inserted into the starting lineup immediately. Ladyman noted Donnarumma made a crucial save from Bryan Mbeumo with the score 2-0.

Ladyman added that underlying metrics such as goal attempts and expected goals suggested United were making incremental progress under Ruben Amorim, but that mistakes in key areas and reactive transfer and selection decisions were undermining results.

West Ham’s goalkeeper situation was flagged as another area of concern. Ladyman wrote that Mads Hermansen, signed from Leicester in the summer for £16.5 million, had not yet provided the assurance the club requires as defensive instability continued. Manager Graham Potter faces a choice after Polish veteran Łukasz Fabianski, who had been released last June and re-signed last week to provide cover, was on the bench alongside Alphonse Areola at the weekend. Ladyman suggested Potter might turn to Fabianski for a guiding hand between the posts while also urging improved defending at set pieces, after Pape Sarr’s unmarked header for Tottenham highlighted recurring issues.

Aston Villa’s inability to score in five consecutive league matches was identified as a pressing problem for Unai Emery. Ladyman observed that Villa’s drought, which spanned back to mid-May, left them in rare company across England and Scotland. Centre forward Ollie Watkins, who touched the ball only once inside Everton’s penalty area during a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, has seen his output dip from past seasons. Ladyman pointed out Villa’s limited transfer spending and reliance on the loan market — including players such as Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho, both on the bench at Everton — as factors that could constrain Emery’s options while the club remains close to its financial ceiling.

In the Championship, Ladyman noted Middlesbrough manager Rob Edwards had publicly rebuked supporters who booed a substitution after the club earned a 2-2 draw at Preston. Edwards, whose previous managerial spell included promotion with Luton, said fans should remain supportive if the team is to achieve promotion, and Ladyman described the intervention as coming from a position of strength with Middlesbrough leading the division.

Ladyman also remarked that promoted teams from last season appeared to be learning lessons from the struggles of predecessors such as Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich. Burnley, despite early defeats, had at times adopted a conservative approach — manager Scott Parker deployed a compact defensive shape that included dropping midfielder Josh Laurent into a back five — and came close to shutting out stronger opposition. Sunderland, aided by new Dutch goalkeeper Robin Roefs, had collected two clean sheets, two wins and seven points and sat in the top half of the table; the only Premier League team to beat them so far this season was Burnley.

The column concluded with an anecdote on Ange Postecoglou, who Ladyman said appeared uncomfortable with small talk after Nottingham Forest’s visit to Arsenal, and a reflection on managerial comportment in post-match interviews.

Taken together, Ladyman’s observations painted a picture of a league in which recruitment and timely selection decisions are proving decisive, while tactical conservatism and injury to form are weighing on several clubs. Liverpool’s sustained transfer strategy and Gravenberch’s role were presented as a model of continuity and planning, while United, West Ham and Villa were identified as facing immediate questions that could define their seasons.