A look at the burning issues for Arne Slot and Liverpool's new-look backroom team will have to address from the start of June
The circumstances that led to Liverpool handing Arne Slot a three-year deal to be their head coach are fairly unusual in the modern game.
The 45-year-old's succeeding of Jurgen Klopp became football's worst-kept secret in recent weeks, particularly over a busy weekend when the man himself first confirmed that he would be taking over at Anfield before his predecessor sang his name in front of 60,000 fans at Anfield.
And despite his impending arrival being common knowledge by Monday morning, Slot was eventually confirmed as the first-ever 'head coach' for the Reds at 5pm on Monday evening. He joins a club that, to be frank, did not want to lose the man it already had at the helm and the task of following on from such a beloved and revered figure like Klopp is undoubtedly a daunting one.
But the fact that Slot has the confidence of his own ability to tackle it head on without hesitation should bode well for a supporter-base who have already been urged by the outgoing Klopp to afford the new man the same support he was given upon his own October 2015 arrival.
Curiously, Slot arrives with the title of 'head coach', in an effort to help ease the burden of workload for a new man finding his feet. Klopp has spoken at length about the additional responsibilities he organically inherited over the years as his standing within the fanbase and the club grew, and a new-look Liverpool are keen to ensure the replacement does not suffer from the same list of duties that can evidently lead to burnout.
Instead, Slot will be aided and abetted by a first permanent sporting director in over a year in Richard Hughes, while Michael Edwards will oversee the day-to-day running from a 'CEO of football' position within Fenway Sports Group.
But just what are the first areas for Slot to assess when he begins on June 1? Here, the ECHO takes a closer look at what will be in the head coach's in-tray.
Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold contracts
The contract situations of three key players in Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent-Alexander Arnold need urgent attention. That will be the collaborative focus from Edwards, Slot and Hughes from June 1.
Speaking on Sunday, captain Van Dijk confirmed there has yet to be an offer tabled, saying: “My future is not important at the moment. At the moment there is nothing for me to say. Nothing has changed and nothing is on the table either. No changes in my situation at all."
Van Dijk has intimated he would like to stay on Merseyside and remain as captain but with no deal to sign, the impasse goes on, as it does with Alexander-Arnold, whose tears during Sunday's end-of-season ceremony were put down to his sadness at seeing Klopp leave rather than any thoughts about a lap of honour being his last Anfield appearance.
Real Madrid have been tentatively linked with the 25-year-old and with 12 months left on the deal, Liverpool will have to open talks quickly with the player's representatives. A respectful silence has always been forthcoming from both camps on the contract score but the new-look team behind the scenes will not want to take Alexander-Arnold's status as a lifelong Red for granted.
Salah appeared to confirm he had intentions to stay put for at least another year when posting on social media on Monday night, writing: "We know that trophies are what count and we will do everything possible to make that happen next season. Our fans deserve it and we will fight like hell."
It was a reassuring message but while Liverpool are planning for life with Salah for the coming campaign, Saudi Arabian interest may suddenly emerge like it did last August and with a year left on the biggest contract of all time on Merseyside, there could be a genuine dilemma for Edwards, Slot and Hughes to wrestle with.
Darwin Nunez form
Liverpool bet the house on Darwin Nunez when they brought him to Anfield for an initial £64m from Benfica nearly two years ago and the Uruguay international has since ticked up to a club-record-equalling £75m, due to add-ons paid.
As a result, the Reds are keeping faith with a player who they still believe has all the tools to develop into one of the most fearsome frontmen in Europe. Finishes like the goals against Newcastle United, Brentford and Sparta Prague last term help strengthen that stance but two years into his career Liverpool and Nunez is still guilty of loose touches and rash finishing at key junctures.
Eighteen goals and 13 assists paint the picture of an important player up top but one goal in the last two months of the campaign - when he closed down Sheffield United goalkeeper Ivo Grbic to force a calamitous mistake - is proof of the difficult end to the term for Nunez.
How much more prolific the now £75m striker gets under the coaching of Slot will be vital to any success the Reds can enjoy under their new boss. Nunez, for all the debate around him, remains critical to the operation on the pitch.
Continuing midfield rebuild
The summer of 2023 was characterised by the remodelling of Liverpool's engine room and the revolving door of midfielders who came and went during the player trading months.
While Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho all departed, in came Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch to offset those departures.
The upheaval cost Liverpool around £150m but they made over a third of that back through the sales of Fabinho and Henderson, whose respective moves to Al-Ittihad and Al-Ettifaq brought in £52m in total.
The exit of Thiago Alcantara, who becomes another high-profile free agent of the Klopp era, frees up a space in the squad and, more significantly, eases the burden on the wage bill considerably.
While Thiago's entire campaign lasted just a paltry five minutes in a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal in February, the exit of a player who earned a reported £200,000 a week allows space and funds for another gilded central midfielder to come in and take his spot in the squad.
While that might limit space and game-time for the likes of Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, who are all in their early 20s, the opportunity to reinvest Thiago's wages into the squad creates plenty of wiggle room for the club to add another top-class midfielder to the ranks.
Replacement for Joel Matip
While Jarell Quansah's emergence at centre-back has offset the absence of Joel Matip, whose Liverpool career was ended when he suffered an ACL rupture in a 4-3 win over Fulham in December, the Reds remain light in the defensive department.
With Matip now confirmed as not being given the new contract Klopp had called for in the aftermath of the centre-half's surgery before Christmas, Liverpool are light in that area of the pitch.
Alongside Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, Quansah makes up a four-man defensive department. But Matip's exit frees up room on the squad list for a younger and more durable addition to give more competition next term.
Gomez has become something of a high-class utility man having played all across the backline last term as well as a couple of games as a defensive midfielder and, while the England international has always seen himself as a centre-back first and foremost, Matip's end-of-season exit could see Slot take a closer look at who is on the market.