Rachel Brown-Finnis believes Liverpool have put themselves in pole position to retain their Premier League crown after taking a leaf out of Manchester City’s transfer playbook.
An extraordinary summer spending spree has brought Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen, together with Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt and Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth.
A deal has also been agreed to sign Italian youth international Giovanni Leoni from Parma, and Brown-Finnis says the addition of quality players to a team already in possession of the title is reminiscent of the strategy adopted by City under Pep Guardiola.
“Each time City were champions under Guardiola, they would add a player or two,” said the former England goalkeeper. “You would think they can’t get any better, but they did, and Liverpool have done the same.”
Brown-Finnis, one of five female BBC pundits tasked with predicting which teams will finish in the top four, has tipped Arne Slot’s side to remain champions, a view echoed by her former England team-mate Anita Asante.
“They have added depth and players with versatility,” said Asante. “There’s good balance in the team that will allow for positional rotation.”
While the Lionesses record goalkeeper Ellen White has likewise identified Liverpool as the team to beat, former City defender Steph Houghton believes her old club’s strength in depth could prove decisive.
Algeria international Rayan Ait-Nouri, Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and France playmaker Rayan Cherki are among the summer arrivals at the Etihad, and Houghton believes that the abundance of talent available to Guardiola means City’s Liverpool’s title hopes rest on the outcome of their summer-long pursuit of Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak.
“City’s squad is amazing now,” said Houghton. “They could have two starting XIs that would be unbelievable. They are my pick right now, but if Liverpool get Isak then that obviously changes things.”
Sue Smith, meanwhile, has tipped Arsenal to finally shed the tag of perennial bridesmaids, identifying Spain midfielder Martín Zubimendi as a potentially crucial addition.
“Zubimendi really adds variety to midfield,” said Smith. “He can hold, allowing [Declan] Rice to go box-to-box and [Martin] Odegaard to show his flair and creativity.”
But with three of the five women predicting that Liverpool will once again finish in top spot, the overriding feeling is that the Reds remain the team to beat.
“If they get Isak and Marc Guehi from Palace then that is brilliant business, on top of what they have done already,” said White. “They are the team the others have to knock off that pedestal.”
