“Not enough time” – Lewis Steele provides worrying Liverpool transfer update

Liverpool Transfer News: Lewis Steele Fears Reds Will Run Out of Time

Liverpool have seven days. Seven days to turn a transfer window that Lewis Steele believes they have already made “a real mess of” into something resembling a completed squad for Andoni Iraola.

Speaking to Dave Davis on Anfield Index’s Media Matters podcast, Steele painted a fairly stark picture. Liverpool still want attacking reinforcements, departures remain unresolved and, in his view, significant weaknesses elsewhere in Iraola’s squad remain untouched.

“I’ve never known a club this late in the window to have so much to do,” Steele said.

That sentence probably captures Liverpool’s situation better than any lengthy assessment could.

Liverpool Running Out of Transfer Time

Steele’s frustration stems partly from how predictable some of Liverpool’s needs have been.

“I don’t think anyone could have seen it coming, especially after last summer, which was so busy,” he told Davis. “I think everyone predicted this summer to be a bit quieter, but I think that should have changed based on the fact that last season was such a write-off of a season, pretty much, and there were so many obvious holes that needed plugging.”

Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle United has only intensified those questions.

Steele added: “How have they let it get to this point? And they’re still not sorted. And it’s just, it doesn’t reflect well on anyone at the club, really.”

The clock matters because any late arrival must immediately adapt to Iraola’s football. Steele used Bradley Barcola as the obvious example.

“If he had a pre-season at the club under his belt, learning the new style, then he could have had a better chance to do that,” he explained.

Instead, a late arrival could be “shoved in the deep end and expected to swim”.

Barcola and Minteh Deals Enter End Game

Much of the Liverpool transfer news continues to centre around wide attackers, with Barcola and Yankuba Minteh dominating discussion.

On Barcola, Steele believes matters have reached a decisive stage.

“We’re in the end game now and obviously we’ll know the results of it within the next seven days,” he said. “Don’t know why it’s taken so long on both counts because these could have been done a month ago, to be honest.”

Minteh also remains firmly in the conversation. Steele expects Liverpool to continue trying to find an agreement with Brighton.

“It does sound like an agreement is there to be done,” he said, adding: “Wouldn’t be surprised at all if they put that in the next day or so.”

Photo: IMAGO

Yet Steele would prioritise something else.

“I think I would probably sack that off for now and sign a DM instead.”

Midfield Problem Remains Unresolved

Liverpool’s midfield was a recurring theme throughout the podcast, particularly following the Newcastle performance.

“I’ve been banging the drum all summer that they need to sign a midfielder, but it doesn’t seem like they’re going to at this stage,” Steele said.

His concern is that Liverpool could strengthen an already expensive attack without addressing the area protecting Iraola’s defence.

“Don’t put all your eggs in the wide forward basket,” he argued. “Try and improve an area of the pitch that’s clearly lacking.”

For Steele, Liverpool do not necessarily need an elite name. They need someone capable of performing a specific function.

“It’s just someone that can sit in there and plug the gaps.”

Seven Days Could Leave Liverpool Short

There are outgoing deals to consider too. Steele expects Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa could leave, while Cody Gakpo’s situation may accelerate if Liverpool secure two new wingers.

That creates an extraordinary workload before the deadline.

“They’ve got basically the main transfer target of the summer still to sign. They want another winger. They’re going to have to sell one winger if that comes in. They’ve got about five or six exits that are probably going to have to happen. They still have glaring holes in the squad.”

His conclusion was unequivocal.

“There’s so much to do and there’s not enough time to do it all, quite frankly.”

Liverpool can still move quickly. Steele acknowledged that a deal could suddenly be completed within 24 hours. Yet the overriding question from this Media Matters discussion remains whether Liverpool have left themselves enough time to give Iraola everything he needs.

As Steele put it: “Liverpool need to pull a finger out because they are running out of time.”

Seven days will provide the answer.

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