Liverpool bolster defence with Giovanni Leoni deal before Premier League opener

LONDON – Liverpool manager Arne Slot continued to reinforce his squad on the eve of their English Premier League season opener, confirming on Aug 14 that the club had agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma. 

British media reported the fee for the former Serie A player at £26 million (S$45.2 million).

Slot’s men kick off the defence of their title when they host Bournemouth on Aug 15 on what is sure to be an emotional night at Anfield, following the death of Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother in a car crash in July.

Leoni is expected to immediately join the first team after passing his medical examination, with the club ruling out any possibility of a loan move.

The teenager will join Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez – who is a doubt for the Aug 15 match having recently returned from an Achilles injury – among Slot’s centre-back options and shore up a backline that showed frailties during pre-season.

“There are reasons for it,” Slot said, citing injuries, mixed line-ups, and the integration of new players. “The standard here is 10/10, we are doing everything well but ‘well’ is not good enough. We have to go a step up.

“Come (Friday) evening against Bournemouth, there are no excuses.”

The Dutchman is cautiously optimistic Liverpool can retain their title. 

“The main reason that it’s so difficult is that there are so many competitors who can win the league. It’s unbelievable if you are able to do it in this league,” he added.

“This year will be even harder than before. Every season and pre-season has its challenges. We have lost many starters.

“It’s not always yourself but the teams you face.

“We’ve lost five to six players who played quite a lot of minutes last season, and brought in four, so it’s normal there’s adaptation.”

Liverpool have a tough start to the campaign, with games away to Newcastle United and at home to 2024-25 runners-up Arsenal among their first three fixtures.

“We start with Bournemouth, probably the most intense team in the league last season, in running and playing style,” Slot said.

There is plenty of anticipation around Liverpool’s new attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz after the Reds shattered their transfer record to sign the 22-year-old German international from Bayer Leverkusen in June.

They paid £100 million, with a further maximum of £16 million in potential bonuses.

Slot was full of praise for Wirtz, but cautioned that the player might need time to adjust to the intensity of England’s top tier.

“Good players always find a way of playing in a good team – he is a good player, and he plays in a good team,” he said.

“Factually, we can see him as a young player, but I don’t see him as one. He won the Cup and league in Germany (in 2024), and his mentality is his biggest strength.

“That says a lot, because when you see him play he is so creative. He is mentally strong, he doesn’t get distracted by a transfer fee or anything else.”

Meanwhile, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is having to adapt after losing many of his players.

Centre-back Illia Zabarnyi has just completed a £54.5 million move to Paris Saint-Germain, while fellow defenders Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez – who moved to Liverpool – are departures from a squad who finished ninth last season.

“I do not want to lose players but when the window is open, you never know what’s going to happen,” Iraola said. “Obviously, if the more important players stay with us, it’s going to be easier – but if something else happens, we will also adapt.

“We will be like the club. They will be ready for whatever the situation is – and we will do our job.

“Whatever the scenario is, when the market finishes, the club will give us the players to compete.” REUTERS