Liverpool’s summer transfer business has left a clear financial footprint, with structured payments and conditional clauses shaping the deals. The club signed Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitiké as part of a window in which Liverpool twice broke the British transfer record.

Reports state an additional £16 million in add-ons tied to the Wirtz transfer will only be paid if Liverpool win the Premier League or Champions League a total of four times combined, The Times report. That condition frames the likelihood of the extra payments being triggered and places them against a high competitive bar.

Sporting director Richard Hughes also opted to spread the initial fee into five equal instalments to mitigate short-term financial pressure on the club. Taken together, those structures reflect a deliberate approach to balancing ambition and cashflow.

Across incoming business, Liverpool spent £415 million in the summer to set a record for total spending in a single window, topping the Chelsea figure set in 2023. Outgoing sales contributed to a net spend reported at £228 million.

On the pitch, Florian Wirtz has experienced a cautious start. The German has yet to register a goal involvement in three appearances and has been deployed solely in the No. 10 role. In that setup Hugo Ekitiké has led the line with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah positioned to his left and right respectively.

The acquisition of Alexander Isak is presented as further reinforcement for a Liverpool attack that has scored the most goals in the league so far, eight this season. How quickly new arrivals settle and how contractual conditions evolve will determine the long-term financial and sporting impact of what was an expansive summer for the club.

Everton winger Jack Grealish has claimed the Player of the Month prize after an electric start to life on loan with the Toffees. In his first two Premier League starts for Everton, Grealish produced four assists in total, creating a pair of strikes in a 2–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion before repeating the feat a week later in a 3–2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“First one,” a shell-shocked Grealish remarked as he was surprised by his award by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who insisted the victory was “fully deserved”. The recognition marks Grealish’s first Player of the Month award.

Both monthly honours head to Merseyside after Liverpool manager Arne Slot secured the Manager of the Month award, fending off competition from Everton’s David Moyes. Last year’s Manager of the Season, Slot continued Liverpool’s strong start to the campaign. The club remain the only unbeaten side in England’s top flight after overseeing victories over Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Arsenal, moving out into an early lead in the standings.

Slot has had to tweak his approach following a record-breaking summer transfer window. Fans are awaiting the first appearance of new striker Alexander Isak, while there has already been notable success for fellow new signing Hugo Ekitiké. Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have all been added to the reigning champions as well.

This is the second time Slot has collected the monthly prize, having first won it in November 2024. The back-to-back recognition of a loaned Everton attacker and Liverpool’s head coach underlines the competitive and fluid start to the season across Merseyside and the wider Premier League.

Arne Slot has acknowledged Liverpool’s interest in Crystal Palace centre back Marc Guéhi after a Deadline Day move failed to materialise. Reports since that late transfer window have suggested the club will not reopen talks in January and may prefer to try to sign the 25-year-old on a free transfer next summer.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Burnley, Slot was candid about how visible the approach had been. “I think it would be ridiculous if I will deny we were close, it was so out in the open, these things happen in football. It’s happened to our players before, it can happen.

“We would like to sign him, of course, because we were in for him. If we feel we can strengthen then we try to.

“We played Ibou [Konaté] and Virgil [van Dijk], who were outstanding, vs. Arsenal, and [Joe] Gomez as well and we signed [Giovanni] Leoni, who had a call-up [to Italy]. We have Wataru [Endo] and Ryan [Gravenberch] as well, so it’s not that we don’t have the players.

“It’s a pity for [Guéhi], but he is at a good club. Let’s see what the future brings for us.”

Asked whether a renewed approach would come in January or at the end of the season, Slot kept the focus on the immediate fixture: “I don’t tell you, but I am thinking of Burnley.”

The wider regulatory landscape was also highlighted in coverage of the saga. Guéhi is believed to have been ready to move to Liverpool, but rules governing free transfers limit English clubs from speaking with a player about a free move in January. European clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, can make direct contact at the turn of the year and could agree terms with the England international before Liverpool are permitted to do so.