Liverpool are linked with a move for Arsenal's Bukayo Saka as his contract negotiations continue to drag on, but Jurgen Klopp has denied any more transfer movement this summer.
After the arrival of Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay, Liverpool look to have bolstered their squad ahead of the new season, despite the departure of attacking trio Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino. And, unless there are drastic changes to his squad before the closure of the summer transfer window, Klopp insists that the Reds are done in the transfer market.
It's clear now that if the Reds were to make a move for Saka, it would have to wait until next season under Klopp's orders. The England international has become one of Arsenal's most important players, hence why the Gunners are looking to tie him down to a long-term deal, double his wages and cement a £100 million valuation, according to reports.
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But, if Liverpool were to dive into the transfer market one more time this season, how could the Reds perform if they had Saka in their squad? Could the 20-year-old push for a starting spot, or will he be used as a rotation player?
We 'signed' Bukayo Saka for Liverpool to see what could've happened
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Saka to sign for Liverpool in the 2022 summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. We then simulated the next two seasons to see what sort of impact he could have at the Reds.
Used more for rotation than as an impact sub, Saka produced some impressive numbers in his first season at the club, managing 44 appearances in all competitions. In those games, the Englishman grabbed 10 goals and three assists, with seven of the goals and two of the assists coming in his 28 league appearances.
Saka struggled to make an impact in the Champions League despite starting nine of the games, but he was a regular in the FA Cup where he proved a vital player in Liverpool's run to the final. Over the course of the season, Saka averaged a rating of 7.37 per game, a very impressive total.
When compared to his teammates, the 20-year-old had the third highest average rating out of the attackers, lower than Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz, but higher than Darwin Nunez. Only Roberto Firmino had a lower goal contribution, though.
With Saka in Liverpool's squad for the upcoming season, the Reds had an unbelievable season in this simulation, winning the Premier League and one other major competition. The battle for the league title went down to the final day of the season between the Reds and Chelsea, with Klopp's side beating the Blues to the title by two points.
The Reds ended the campaign as the league's second top scorers behind Manchester City, but they had the best defensive record, conceding just 28 goals all season. Along with the league title, Liverpool won a monumental double as they lifted the Champions League trophy once again.
Klopp's side faced up against Chelsea in the final of the competition, and a Nunez brace along with a goal from Salah sealed a 3-0 win for Liverpool. The Reds also reached the FA Cup final, though Man City emerged 3-0 winners.
Liverpool's 2023/24 season results
The Reds started the season by selling Joel Matip, Diogo Jota, James Milner and Kostas Tsimikas whilst bringing in Fikayo Tomori and Jude Bellingham, ending the summer transfer window with a net spend of £56m. Saka improved in his second season with the Reds, earning more games, goals and assists.
in 48 appearances in all competitions, Saka scored 13 and assisted six, this time having a greater impact in all competitions. Averaging a rating of 7.37 for the second season running, the 20-year-old managed to have 3+ goals in the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League.
The Englishman performed best in the UCL as he grabbed three goals and three assists in nine games. Saka also tallied four goal contributions in the FA Cup and nine in the Premier League to top off an impressive season.
Salah had another incredible campaign with 26 goals in all competitions as Saka ended the season as the third-highest rated Liverpool attacker once again. Nunez and Diaz both grabbed 17 goals each, making Saka the fourth top scorer at the club.
At the end of the 2023/24 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Liverpool best XI: (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Tomori, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Bellingham; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Saka never made the best XI at Liverpool during his two seasons, with the front three of Salah, Nunez and Diaz keeping their place over both seasons. Bellingham replaced Thiago in midfield whilst Tomori swapped with Joel Matip as Ibrahim Konate and Joe Gomez both missed out.
With an improved Saka and the addition of Bellingham and Tomori, the Reds got even better in the league than the previous season, winning the Premier League title for the second consecutive year. This time, it wasn't as close as Klopp's side finished 12 points ahead of Man City in second.
The Reds tallied 92 points from the 38 games, four more than the 2022/23 campaign. As well as winning the league by 12 points, Klopp's side were also the league's top scorers whilst maintaining the best defence.
Unfortunately, Liverpool couldn't defend their European champions status, losing in the quarter-finals to Juventus in extra time. After winning 3-2 at home in the first leg, A 3-1 loss in Italy saw Juventus advance to the next round.
The Reds were also eliminated in the third round of the Carabao Cup in a shock defeat to Nottingham Forest, but they did manage to win one more trophy in the simulation. After beating Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal on their way to the final, a 3-1 win saw the Reds overcome Brentford to lift the FA Cup trophy.
Overall, this Football Manager simulation predicts that if Saka was to sign for Liverpool, the Englishman could quickly become a vital part of Liverpool's squad, producing high-level performances whilst helping the Reds push for trophies, but necessarily as a first-team regular. With Saka in the squad, the Reds won four trophies in two years, including two Premier League titles, one Champions League and an FA Cup.
Would you like to see Bukayo Saka sign for Liverpool next summer? Let us know in the comments!
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