It's an emotional time on the red half of Merseyside, with Liverpool preparing to say goodbye to Jurgen Klopp after a veritable rollercoaster of a journey over the past nine years.
Liverpool fell by the wayside last season but Klopp and stand-in sporting director Jorg Schmadtke dissembled the midfield and pieced it back together with trendy new parts to secure the Carabao Cup and a third-place Premier League finish, only falling behind in the three-horse title race at a late-stage fence.
Now, it's all changing, FSG moving to make sweeping structural changes from wall to wall. Further change is afoot, with the summer transfer window likely to see tweaks to the playing squad: central defence is a priority position and the need for a wide forward is also pressing.
And on that latter note, let's take a look at an exciting transfer target that might wind up at Anfield. This one feels very Michael Edwards-esque.
Liverpool transfer news
According to the Daily Mail's Craig Hope, Liverpool are among the contenders to sign Leeds United winger Crysencio Summerville, who will be transfer-listed for more than £30m should the Whites fail to get promoted to the Premier League.
Leeds were relegated last season but, headed by Daniel Farke, have been excellent this term and recently thrashed Norwich City to advance to the play-off final, which will be contested against Southampton or West Bromwich Albion next weekend.
Hope explains that Leeds will be forced into raising £100m in player sales if they are felled next Sunday, and Liverpool have joined Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle United in observing the Dutchman's progress.
Crysencio Summerville's season in numbers
Summerville was anointed as the Championship's "Player of the Season" after an exemplary campaign that built on a cautiously promising breakout year in the English top flight last season, his highlight scoring the late winner at Anfield against a beleaguered Liverpool team.
That Merseyside-silencing strike arrived in the second match of a four-game scoring streak stretching from October through to November that forms the entirety of Summerville's goalscoring success in the Premier League, sitting on an 18-match barren run thereafter.
But he's only 22 years old and Summerville has made the most of Leeds' plummet to sharpen his tools at the forefront of the Championship, praised as a "monster" with "crazy" motions by analyst Ben Mattinson, a lightning bolt in transit with the trappings of an elite-level forward.
But why has he won the division's best player of 2023/24? Why not Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, champion with Leicester City, or why not Blackburn Rovers’ Sammie Szmodics, top scorer with 27 goals?
Well, the left-tilted winger has put together a fine seasonal tally himself, posting 19 goals and nine assists throughout the league campaign as well as netting during his side's play-off victory over the Canaries this week.
As per Sofascore, he's also completed 84% of his passes, created 17 big chances and averaged 2.6 key passes, 1.4 tackles, 3.4 ball recoveries, 2.3 dribbles and 5.8 successful duels per game.
It's clear that Liverpool have taken note not due to his goals and his assists, but the numbers underneath that suggest that Summerville has everything it takes to succeed at Liverpool, perhaps growing into the club's best left forward since Sadio Mane.
Why Crysencio Summerville is perfect for Slot
Liverpool enjoyed illustrious success with Mane, the Senegalese hailed for his "unbelievable level" and "world-class" quality by Klopp, integral in winning the Premier League and Champions League.
Luis Diaz was signed from Porto for an initial £37m fee to replace the iconic forward but he has only scored 24 goals from 97 appearances and, aged 27, might be sold this summer for maximum profit, with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain known admirers.
Signing Summerville, endowed with relentless running and a growing potency in front of goal, could be a masterful move from Liverpool, handing Slot the perfect cog to improve his system, the 46-year-old sure to make good use of his countryman.
Indeed, the Leeds ace would likely dovetail into the system through shared countryship with the gaffer, but, moreover, Slot's aggressive, front-footed style would see Summerville flourish, succeeding the fleet-footed Diaz by adding pace and power and prolificness.
Edwards' data-driven, Moneyball approach to transfer activity has paid dividends in the past. Summerville can't replace Mane off the bat but he can help to replace him in the aggregate.
As per FBref, the Netherlands native ranks among the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Championship over the past year for goals scored per 90. Fantastic, plenty of promise there.
But he also ranks among the top 3% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive carries, the top 13% for successful take-ons and the top 4% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90. That denotes his underlying progression-heavy style, something that would make him a tailor-made fit for Liverpool and, specifically, Slot's high-octane system.
Of course, he couldn't assume Mane's role to the same degree, not – as stated – off the bat. However, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota have proven themselves on the left and Slot could tweak and tinker to his liking.
Left winger
194
80
31
Right winger
44
21
8
Centre-forward
29
19
3
Now let's take a look at the existing Liverpool options at left wing – barring Diaz. Each player offers a rate of clinical success that can bolster the squad alongside Summerville, who will need the workload distributed.
Darwin Nunez
21
9
4
Cody Gakpo
15
5
3
Diogo Jota
56
23
6
Indeed, they differ in varying regards but Liverpool's left-sided forwards are analogous in the sense that all boast impressive finishing ability and are interchangeable.
To put it another way, Slot could finally provide Liverpool with the prolific left-winger to supercharge his style of play, incorporating different cogs at different stages to maintain a dynamic attacking line.
This would allow Summerville to blossom into a wide forward capable of playing to the level of Mane at Liverpool without feeling the crushing weight of responsibility pinned on his shoulders at a premature stage.
Liverpool are set to undergo a period of transition but there is no reason that with signings such as Summerville adding that extra ingredient to the frontline, Slot cannot find success in that first, post-Klopp year.
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