No team disappointed more in the Europa League quarterfinals than Liverpool, who were embarrassed almost beyond belief by Gianluca Scamacca and Atalanta in the first leg, falling 3-0 at Anfield, no less, to a team that is barely holding on to a Conference League spot in Serie A.
Atalanta are no newcomers to the big stage in European football, as they have been a Champions League knockout side in the past. But only two years ago, Liverpool were finalists and are currently one of three teams vying for the Premier League title.
Liverpool could only muster a 1-0 win in the second leg in Bergamo, exiting the Europa League of Jurgen Klopp’s final season at the helm without so much as a whimper on the way out.
The defeat to Atalanta is a reminder that Liverpool, despite a strong summer of midfield signings, still need work to do when it comes to upgrading their entire squad.
Napoli LW Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Luis Diaz could have one foot out the door of Anfield, as PSG are hot on the trail of the former Copa America standout. Diaz’s signing in 2022 helped propel Liverpool to the Champions League Final, as he was arguably even more impressive than Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah down the stretch of the campaign.
Although Diaz has shown signs of rebounding in recent weeks, he was disappointing in the Europa League quarterfinals against the Serie A underdogs, bringing up more questions about his future at Anfield.
If Liverpool do decide to cash in on Diaz while he is still in his prime, they can only justify his departure by signing someone who is an upgrade at the left wing position. That means the Reds need to sign an unquestionable world-class talent.
Enter Serie A’s best player, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Even though he hasn’t been the best player in the league this season due to Napoli’s downswing after Luciano Spalletti’s exit to international coaching, Kvara has still been highly effective with his end product.
The Georgian sensation has scored 10 goals with 6 assists, averaging well over 5 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game.
Those are superior numbers to Diaz, who isn’t even as electrifying as Kvaradona on the ball, which is a statement of high praise for the Napoli star.
Kvaratskhelia will easily cost over 100 million euros, and there is still no guarantee that the Reds will be able to sign him. Napoli may not make him available, and Kvara may not want to leave a city he loves dearly.
However, Liverpool need to try as hard as any club to sign Kvaratskhelia, who may be worth the investment even if Diaz ends up staying at Anfield.
Atalanta CB Giorgio Scalvini
If Liverpool want to sign a player directly from the team that knocked them out of the Europa League quarterfinals in such fashion, then they would be wise to go after Atalanta center back Giorgio Scalvini, even though he didn’t actually play in the matches.
The 20-year-old is one of the best young center backs in the world, and he may honestly already be one of the best center backs in the world of any age.
Scalvini is averaging 1.8 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game for La Dea as one of the best center backs in a league that includes the likes of Bremer and Alessandro Bastoni.
He has even recorded three assists, taking full advantage of the way Gian Piero Gasperini uses his center backs to get forward and help in attacking positions.
Wanted by Real Madrid before they turned their focus to Leny Yoro, Scalvini is one of the most highly-rated defenders in world football and could be part of the next generation of center backs at Liverpool. Virgil van Dijk has bounced back in a big way, but Liverpool do need to think about his long-term replacement.
Sporting CP CB Goncalo Inacio
Another candidate to replace Virgil van Dijk one day, Goncalo Inacio is another one of the most in-demand young center backs in world football and has also been looked at closely by Real Madrid as a possible partner for another former Primeira Liga standout, Eder Militao.
Inacio is having a strong season for Sporting CP under Ruben Amorim, who has made quite the reputation for himself as a developer of young talent, including fellow center back – and Liverpool transfer target – Ousmane Diomande.
Amorim is the clear favorite to take over the Liverpool job from Jurgen Klopp after former midfielder Xabi Alonso decided to stay with Bundesliga-winning side Bayer Leverkusen, who did advance to the Europa League semifinals.
The Portuguese manager could easily bring Inacio with him. Inacio has a 60 million euro release clause, but that should be nothing for Liverpool.
If they want to sign the 22-year-old central defender, then they will see that as a fee worth paying, given they spent a chunk more than that to secure Hungarian playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig last summer. Liverpool have always been willing to pay a fair price for quality.
Stuttgart ST Serhou Guirassy
Serhou Guirassy has an even more attractive release clause at 17.5 million euros, and he could follow suit as the next Bundesliga transfer bargain for Liverpool, even though Jurgen Klopp will already be gone by the time Guirassy were to step foot on the pitch at Anfield.
The Stuttgart striker was crucial to Die Schwaben staying up in the German top flight last season, as he and current Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo came up with several clutch goals for a team that needed the relegation playoff to stay up.
This season, Stuttgart are in the thick of the Champions League battle, and a lot of that is thanks to Guirassy. He has been on the same level as Erling Haaland, Lautaro Martinez, and the other elite strikers of European football this season with a stunning 25 goals in 20 starts, overcoming a mid-season injury.
Even though Guirassy has just one assist, he is averaging 1.7 key passes and two fouls drawn per game, showing elite hold-up play and quality creation for Stuttgart.
At 28, Guirassy isn’t a young player, but he could be an inexpensive, potentially elite goal-scoring option to take some pressure off young star striker Darwin Nunez.
Liverpool may be faced with replacing Diogo Jota, but they don’t have to break the bank to find a potentially great option to replace him. Guirassy may even be good enough to start for Liverpool, judging by his numbers in the Bundesliga this season.
RB Leipzig RB Benjamin Henrichs
Liverpool could go back to the Bundesliga – and RB Leipzig, more specifically – to sign one of the most seasoned fullbacks in German football, international-caliber player Benjamin Henrichs.
The right back position is one of the most talent-scarce in world football, so it would be quite the boon for Liverpool to be able to sign a quality backup for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is the best right back in the world.
TAA has bounced back to being at the elite level in the 2023/24 season, playing a crucial role in Liverpool themselves making a comeback to the Premier League title race.
However, Liverpool need a better backup option for Alexander-Arnold whenever he is unavailable, because Joe Gomez as a makeshift option simply doesn’t cut it against every opponent.
Henrichs is still in his prime years at 27, though he is getting older. Because of that, Liverpool shouldn’t have much trouble signing him from Leipzig, as Heinrichs should be affordable. He likely wouldn’t cost more than 20 million euros.
So far this season, Heinrichs has a healthy four assists. He is averaging 2.1 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.3 key passes, 1.1 fouls drawn, and 1.0 dribbles completed per game. He is one of the best all-around right backs in Europe this season and behind only Jeremie Frimpong as the best player at his position in the Bundesliga.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.