£120m sales, major deals, Arsenal beaten - Arne Slot's perfect Liverpool summer is clear

Arne Slot officially gets started as Liverpool head coach on June 1, and the hard work begins immediately as a new era starts at Anfield.

Michael Edwards and Julian Ward return in roles with FSG while Richard Hughes will also officially begin work at Liverpool on June 1. Talks around recruitment and new contracts will get underway before the players return for pre-season in July.

But what would a perfect summer look like for the incoming Liverpool boss and the team around him? Our writers give their verdicts:

Paul Gorst: Arne Slot might want a full pre-season to get to know his players before any major decisions are made on the comings and goings but Liverpool may not have the luxury of time for the new head coach.

The return of Michael Edwards and subsequent appointment of Richard Hughes as sporting director have shown that owners Fenway Sports Group and the club itself are ready to be proactive to ensure the drop-off without Jurgen Klopp is minimal.

With that being said recruitment talks should be the order of the day when Hughes, Slot and Edwards convene on the AXA Training Centre in June. With the players not due back until early July, there is little else for Slot in particular to keep himself busy with at the Kirkby base.

From there, the tactical nuances brought in by the Dutchman will be fascinating to see after nine years of Klopp but the contract situations of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk will all be three major issues for Hughes, specifically, to deal with almost immediately.

The pre-season tour of the United States will be about furthering the brand of Liverpool FC as much as it is building fitness but that shouldn't mean much can't be learned from Slot and a new-look backroom staff who will be desperate to start on the front foot.

Slot will want to put his stamp on the playing staff early on

Ian Doyle: The main priority for Slot during the opening weeks of his reign will surely be to ensure the Liverpool players buy in to his approach and methods. Anyone who isn't on board will then have the opportunity to seek pastures new before transfer deadline day on August 30.

Ideally, Slot will have the chance to run the rule over Liverpool's returning loan players and the youngsters who have already been in and around the first-team squad. A decision can then be made on those who would be better served elsewhere, whether on a temporary and permanent basis.

Some recruitment will be required, both for the present and in terms of future-proofing the squad. A winger, defensive midfielder and centre-back are the most likely areas to strengthen, along with goalkeeper should one or both of Adrian and Caoimhin Kelleher leave. Slot will want to put his stamp on the playing staff early on.

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And then there's the contract situations of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, with Liverpool surely unwilling to let at least Alexander-Arnold walk away for nothing next summer.

Fingers will be crossed that no players picked up serious injuries in the Euros or the Copa America, with this arguably the most influential pre-season for Liverpool in many years.

And while results in warm-up games rarely count for much, performances - both individually and collectively - most certainly do, and Slot will want positive momentum going into the start of the campaign.

Statement signings and statement victories

Joe Rimmer: Arne Slot has big shoes to fill at Liverpool but with a team around him of Michael Edwards, Julian Ward and Richard Hughes, he should have the support network to make a strong start to life at Anfield.

Indeed, they'll be needed to help him make some statement signings - an established number six and exciting forward will be necessary - and he'll want Hughes to work similar magic to Edwards when it comes to outgoings.

Liverpool have some major assets they can possibly sell this summer and if they decide to cash in on Luis Diaz, they shouldn't accept much less than £80/90m from a club with the resources of Paris-Saint Germain. Meanwhile if Caoimhin Kelleher is to move on then the goalkeeper market should dictate a few upwards of £25m for the Irishman, though a smaller fee would be acceptable should a buy back clause be inserted into any deal.

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There are contracts to sort out, too, and Trent Alexander-Arnold simply cannot be allowed to go beyond the summer without signing a new deal. That must be a priority.

And then it'll be down to business with some huge pre-season games to come in the US against Manchester United and Arsenal. The results might be meaningless but with the spotlight on summer friendlies nowadays, Slot will want to give a good account of himself and avoid the type of narrative that began when Darwin Nunez struggled against United in 2022.

Just think back to when Liverpool beat United 4-1 in front of 101,000 people in summer 2018. That result, along with wins over Man City and Napoli in a summer that saw the Reds lose just one game, gave them a platform to launch an exciting young team into the new season. Similar results against United or - perhaps more pertinently - Arsenal could gives fans and players confidence in Slot before the real stuff has even begun.

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