Liverpool were a day late and a dollar short in the Premier League title race last season, also losing to the eventual champions in both the FA Cup and the Europa League.
There's no question that Jurgen Klopp's announcement in January that he would end his nine-year tenure at the helm heightened expectations, put an unwelcome and unhelpful spotlight on the fact that Liverpool had overcome the struggles of the 2022/23 campaign, were resurgent, had battled back to a place alongside the division's finest.
But Liverpool still finished third with 82 points, 15 better off than the previous term. Arne Slot inherits a squad bursting with talent, desperate to add to last season's Carabao Cup triumph with some more illustrious silverware.
A talented squad but too short in the fight for such honours last season. Purposeful progress must be made in the market over the next few months, with FSG ready to pounce if the right player becomes available.
And, as it would have it, one of Europe's most coveted players may well be on the radar.
Liverpool interested in Euro 2024 star
According to a report from The Mirror earlier this week, Liverpool are interested in signing Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala. The Germany international has been one of the stars of Euro 2024 so far, scoring twice in two games.
Musiala, aged 21, is contracted to the German giants until 2026 but is currently keeping his options open despite being presented with a bumper new deal. That said, if he were to leave this summer, reports earlier in 2024 suggest that Bayern would demand a price of £100m. As a result, it could be a club-record move for the Reds if it were to happen.
Liverpool, along with Chelsea and Manchester City, are eager to bring him to the Premier League, with Musiala having grown up in London and eager to ply his trade in England's top flight.
Jamal Musiala's season in numbers
BBC presenter Gary Lineker described Musiala as "magical" after his stunning brace of performances at the Euros so far, scoring in both of the host nation's victories and flaunting his tricks and flicks.
Minutes played
74'
72'
Goals
1
1
Shots
3
1
Touches
59
61
Accurate passes
32/32 (100%)
39/45 (87%)
Dribble attempts
5/8
1/2
Duels won
9/15
7/10
Tackles
2
3
Few players are capable of performing with the snazzy guile and flair to a degree similar to that of Musiala, whose ball-carrying expertise and ability to weave past any defence on the planet have even led to him being hailed for his "world-class" performances by Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann.
He's also an interestingly versatile player, principally deployed on the left flank but finding plenty of success when starring centrally. For Germany, over the past week or so, he has actually featured from the right wing, albeit roaming around the final third.
In the German Bundesliga, while Musiala's Bavarian outfit endured a testing season that resulted in a third-place finish under Thomas Tuchel, ending 11 years of dominance, Musiala still shone as one of his homeland's standout performers.
As per Sofascore, the wide forward featured 24 times, starting 20 matches, scored ten goals, added six assists, and astoundingly averaged 1.8 key passes, 3.6 dribbles, and 7.2 successful duels per game.
Liverpool's intrigue will centre around Musiala's ability to bring it all together, varying his goals and assists while maintaining a robust approach that is discernible through his combativity and creativity.
Given that he has such a similar style of play to Michael Olise, regarded as "one of the EPL's best players" last season, as per talent scout Jacek Kulig, Liverpool could do a lot worse than bringing him to Anfield to spearhead the new, post-Klopp era.
Musiala could be Slot's own Michael Olise
Interestingly, Olise is actually headed toward Germany, with Bayern agreeing a €60m (£51m) fee with Crystal Palace to bring Olise to the Allianz Arena this summer. A host of Premier League outfits had a vested interest in the France U21 international but Die Roten have prevailed.
Olise was utterly breathtaking in the English top flight last term; limited to only 19 starts due to injuries, he still scored ten goals and assisted six more, also averaging 1.9 key passes, 2.1 dribbles, and 5.7 successful duels per outing.
Just glancing at the respective seasonal metrics of the two players in question, it can certainly be ascertained that both operate in a similar style, impressively prolific but truly succeeding through their tenacious, multi-faceted performance level.
Goals scored
0.64
0.41
Assists
0.42
0.21
Shots taken
3.95
2.77
Shot-creating actions
5.79
5.03
Pass completion
74.9%
82.7%
Progressive passes
5.51
5.10
Progressive carries
4.80
5.30
Successful take-ons
2.82
4.07
Ball recoveries
4.79
4.67
Tackles
1.34
1.78
Interceptions
0.78
0.96
Examining the collated stats above, we can determine that while Olise was head and shoulders ahead of Musiala vis-à-vis goals and assists, his shot-taking and shot-creating, the German maverick is just as exciting in his progression, actually driving forward with the ball at his feet with far greater regularity and sharpness than the Eagles ace.
Moreover, Musiala's more defensively sound, chipping in more often with tackles and throwing himself in front of opposing through balls to intercept and recycle possession.
Michael Edwards is known for his savvy, number-crunching wherewithal in the transfer room, and he would surely look past the fact that Musiala hasn't enjoyed his finest goal-contributing season with Bayern when mulling over a move.
Indeed, the underlying story declaims to all that Musiala is one of the most exhilarating and effective attacking midfielders in Europe. He might cost quite a pretty penny but he would be wholly worth it for Slot and his new Liverpool team.
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At the age of 21, the former Chelsea youth prospect would also arrive with long-term potential to be a terrific player for the Reds boss for many more years to come, rather than a short-term fix who would need to be replaced again within a few seasons.
It is now down to Edwards and his team to pull off a deal for the talented wizard so that Slot can have his own version of Olise at Anfield next term.
