GLARING Richard Hughes transfer error looks worse every day

It’s only a few months since Liverpool spent £450m in the summer transfer window.

Upgrades were made to practically every area of the squad - with the club breaking the British transfer record twice in succession.

But having brought in so many players - across goalkeeper, defence and attack - neglecting to recruit a central midfielder now looks a glaring failure.

These issues stretch back to 2024. Back then Liverpool identified Martin Zubimendi as their No1 pick for the summer transfer window.

Having failed to convince him to leave Real Sociedad, the club opted to use Ryan Gravenberch in defensive midfield instead.

Liverpool ignored warning signs over Gravenberch

That was of course a rip-roaring success with the Dutchman surpassing Zubimendi’s quality and winning the Premier League title.

However there were warning signs that Gravenberch needed competition - or at least more cover - as early as the run-in last season.

Gravenberch was a consistent presence in the Reds’ midfield - not missing a minute until December - but was given more rest towards the end of the season as the toll of a regular midfield role began to tell.

And right at the start of this campaign - with Gravenberch suspended - Arne Slot had to fiddle with his lineup in order to adequately replace the 23-year-old.

He opted for Dominik Szoboszlai but in truth Liverpool were cut to ribbons through the middle third against Bournemouth on matchday one.

Liverpool should have signed midfielder

Gravenberch then suffered an injury on international duty - necessitating an early return to his club.

It was reckoned that the former Bayern Munich player suffered a hamstring injury but it didn’t keep him out of the weekend tie against Manchester United.

But Liverpool have now been left exposed following a nasty-looking ankle injury suffered by Gravenberch on Sunday. The Reds are in a pickle in central midfield right now.

And the club also chose to ignore the warning signs over Alexis Mac Allister.

Having played extensively over the last five seasons - including multiple international tournaments for Argentina - it all caught up with the 26-year-old towards the end of the title-winning campaign. He’s not been the same player since.

Yes, on numbers alone Liverpool have got plenty. Gravenberch, Mac Allister Szoboszlai, Endo and Curtis Jones are five top-quality performers.

But with question marks over the form of Mac Allister, the robustness of Gravenberch and the overall longevity of Endo, last summer was a failed mission in midfield.

Liverpool could well have moved for another midfielder in the shape of Samuele Ricci or Mikel Jauregizar. And they weren’t the only players on the list.

Instead Hughes and Slot ignored the problem which first cropped up a year before and went into the season in the same midfield situation. It’s not quite a fatal error - but surely in January or summer 2026 it’s one which should be rectified.

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